


You're My Land Ahoy

by smittenbritain



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Pining, Oral Sex, Slow Burn, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-04-05 15:12:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14046996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smittenbritain/pseuds/smittenbritain
Summary: It would be foolish to steal away on someone’s ship, Ryan knew that.And yet.Ryan was deathly bored of day to day life on the same island. He was desperate to know what was out there, if there was a life for him beyond working in a tavern. The arrival of Captain Shortbeard's crew promised that escape - and Ryan was just impulsive enough to try it.





	You're My Land Ahoy

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was absolutely not supposed to be this long, but I'm really proud of myself for managing to write something so long. I thought it'd be much shorter, had no real concept at the start, and then somehow I managed to get 20k+ words out of it. God damn. 
> 
> It's loosely based on Sea of Thieves with some locations mentioned in it, but it was written in the lead up to its release and I haven't played it myself. There are some concepts in it that were present in the videos AH made on them, though a lot of it is just me playing with the universe and running from there.
> 
> Title is from [Gay Pirates](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHrJreMF1KU) by Cosmo Jarvis, though I listened to _a lot_ of the AC4 soundtrack while writing this.
> 
> You can find my tumblr at [leftsmitteninbritain](https://leftsmitteninbritain.tumblr.com/). If you like what I did here, feel free to check out my other stuff or swing by my blog!
> 
> Most of all, though, huge thanks to [silentreprobate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilentReprobate/pseuds/SilentReprobate) and [redvsvblue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/XylB/pseuds/Waffle-o) here. These two are a couple of my closest friends, and they listened to me ramble about this for the past two weeks while I wrote it and encouraged me all the way through, even when it became a much bigger project than I anticipated. <3
> 
> EDIT: SilentReprobate was kind enough to do a gorgeous aesthetic board for the fic [here](https://silentreprobate.tumblr.com/post/172493896266/aesthetic-board-for-the-fic-youre-my-land-ahoy)!

The tavern door hit the wall with a slam Ryan heard over the din already present in the cramped building. His shoulders hunched and he shot a glare over at the group strolling in - of course it was more pirates. Locals tended to show more respect than that, even in their drunkest moments.

Pirates, however, clearly didn’t give a shit - they didn’t live here, so why should they be worried about putting a dent in the wall?

Not that Ryan cared much for this place anyway.

At the otherwise quiet Golden Sands Outpost, the single tavern seemed like a hotspot of activity in the evening. Every night, ships would set down their anchors at the tiny port. Those that lived on the island would finish trade for the day and shut their shops, content to squirrel away the precious wares their customers had brought from across the sea. Once everything was secure, both merchant and pirate alike packed into the bar to drink and celebrate a job well done.

Ryan already knew though that his bitterness came from envy. It wasn’t just because he wanted some peace and quiet for one night - though that would be greatly appreciated, too.

There was nothing for him on this island, and yet he was stuck here anyway. He couldn’t exactly make enough working at the tavern to set off for a fresh start, and he wouldn’t even know which direction to sail in if he did. He’d only end up lost at sea and nothing more than just a tale to laugh at as people wondered what could’ve possibly happened to him. As much as he wanted out, it wasn’t worth the risk to go on his own, and he knew that no crew would willingly take on someone random and inexperienced.

The door swept shut behind the next group of grisly looking pirates, taking away the tantalisingly brief view of the sea with it. Ryan dropped his gaze back to the mug he was cleaning, lips thinned.

Sometimes, he wondered how dead he’d be if he simply sneaked onto a ship before it headed off into the sea the next morning. He imagined that pirates wouldn’t take too kindly to a random stowaway - even if that stowaway was a decent cook and quick with a knife. Given that most crews looked like those that had just gruffly ordered a round of ale at the bar, Ryan assumed he would very quickly be thrown overboard just as he got a taste of freedom.

He pushed the drinks towards the captain, took the offered money, and the group headed off to one of the few empty tables in the corner. Soon enough, Ryan knew their noisy laughter would add to the swelling bubble already filling the little tavern. It was starting to grate on his nerves.

A quick glance around confirmed that most of the patrons had drinks in their hands already. Dropping the rag, Ryan nudged one of the other barkeeps, and he gave a quiet word about needing some air before he slipped out the front door. He made sure to close it silently behind him.

Immediately, it was quiet.

With the door muffling the sounds inside the tavern, Ryan felt tension drain from his shoulders. Now, all he could hear was the distant rush of the ocean, the soft whisper of the breeze. Lanterns were dotted along the paths throughout the quaint little village that made up his home; one paved the way straight to the docks and, beyond it, the object of Ryan’s fascination.

The sea lapped against the sand in gentle waves before rolling back again, almost tempting with its dance. For as long as he could remember, Ryan had wondered what there was beyond Golden Sands Outpost. He had always lived here - he’d been born here, raised here, spent his whole live as part of this little village. Ryan had seen ships come and go, but he’d never actually been out on the sea itself.

It  _killed_ him. He was desperate to know what was out there, determined to find out whether there was more to life than simply working in a tavern. If Ryan had never had the chance to explore, how could he possibly know if that was where he was supposed to be in life? Even worse was he already knew that this stationary life wasn’t something he wanted forever. Most of all, Ryan was deathly  _bored_ of day to day life on the same island.

He was so lost in thought that he almost missed movement at the end of the dock. Blinking to clear his mind, Ryan watched as a ship coasted towards the end of the pier - distantly, he could hear cheerful shouts as the anchor was dropped and the ship was secured.

Ryan recognised that ship. He would recognise it anywhere.

He was familiar with the black hull, the green trimming, the imagery carved into its sides - stars rather than the typical merfolk, sprawling along the wood. Out of all the ships he’d seen, it was easily the most cared for. Ryan often wondered if the owners had built it themselves or stayed still long enough to commission it from some skilled (and no doubt well paid) craftsman.

The ship was certainly beautiful, but the charming crew aboard it made it even more enchanting. Ryan couldn’t help smiling as they wandered down the dock now; they were too late to trade, but they made an instant beeline for the tavern anyway.

Leading them was a man Ryan remembered all too well - Captain Shortbeard, clad in his garish orange and purple clothing. Admittedly, Ryan thought it was nicer than the plain browns and beiges the other crews seemed to prefer, even if it was rather bright. It made him stand out amongst the usual crowd, though Ryan always found his attention swaying to him whenever he was in the room, as rare as it was.

Behind him, Ryan saw the man’s crew, all with equally amusing names: Jean Luc, Pegpecker, Limpy Dave, and Simple Geoff. Like their captain, they all wore different colours, something that would make them a more joyful sight than other pirate crews. Admittedly, with all five of them in one spot it was almost a little too much, but Ryan could imagine that when they each stood on their own they would be a pleasantly different sight.

At first, Ryan thought they’d just pass without saying anything. He didn’t expect them to know him by face, and he wouldn’t have minded as much anyway if they didn’t; they were bright and cheerful, and even if he didn’t talk to the group he was happy to just have them around. It always made the tavern a more entertaining place when this genuinely joyful crew was around.

To his utter delight, though, Captain Shortbeard paused when he saw Ryan leaning beside the door. His grin lit up his face as he offered his hand. “Didn’t think we’d be seein’ ye out here! How’ve ye been?”

While he was honestly just amazed that Shortbeard remembered him, Ryan tried to shrug it off. He shook the offered hand, ignoring the way the contact made a prickle of heat rise on the back of his neck. Captain Shortbeard’s fingers were rough with callouses; they spoke of the work he did, the fact that he helped his crewmates rather than simply directed them. It was admirable. “I’m good! I, uh, just stepped out for a minute. Someone will get you your drinks, though.”

Shortbeard clapped him on the shoulder with another wide, sweet smile. “Good man, glad to hear that ye be well. I’d love to stay and chat, but I promised the crew refreshments out of my own pocket.” With a roll of his eyes like Ryan was in on the joke, Shortbeard stepped back and opened the door a crack. “Perhaps we’ll have a chance to catch up later this evenin’?”

There was always such a sense of warmth that came off of Shortbeard, like everyone was his friend, pirate or not. It spoke volumes that they knew him by face and were happy to stand and talk, even if they didn’t know him by name. Ryan always got the feeling that there was more of that friendliness directed towards himself, too - if any of the crew had their choice of barkeeps, they always came to Ryan.

It was flattering. It was welcoming.

It got Ryan thinking.

“Perhaps,” Ryan agreed, his mind racing.

“Good man!” Shortbeard repeated, looking delighted. He tilted his head then, leading his crew into the tavern. The door closed with a soft thump. Ryan settled back against the wall again, his gaze settling once more on the sea.

It would be foolish to steal away on someone’s ship, Ryan knew that.

And yet.

* * *

It took no time at all to gather what he needed. Ryan didn’t have much in the way of personal things; he lived in a tiny cabin next to the tavern, a place he shared with the other staff. As much as he liked his coworkers, he’d never felt confident keeping anything with much value, so all he had to stuff in his pack was clothing, some small amount of food and water, and, after a moment of deliberation, an unused journal.

Briefly, he considered leaving a note for his roommates to find, but in the end he decided against it. If he somehow ended up back here, he didn’t want them to tease him for what he’d attempted - he’d rather let them wonder for now, and then try to explain himself if he ever came back. It wasn’t like they’d miss him much anyway.

Ryan didn’t linger once he was packed, and he didn’t look back at the cabin as he set off towards the pier.

He hadn’t realised that it would be so easy to leave.

His footsteps seemed too loud on the firm wood, echoing out across the water with each deliberate step. Wincing, Ryan tried to tread lighter, but there would be no explaining the sight of a figure creeping across the dock anyway. When Ryan reached the dark, familiar ship, he let out the breath he’d been holding in a shaky, nervous exhale. He looked up - and up, and up further still. It was far bigger than he’d thought it would be.

For the first time in his life, he reached out and touched the hull of a ship - Shortbeard’s ship. His fingertips ran across the wood, dampened where the sea had flicked up against it on its way here. It was breathtaking to be so close to such a marvellous thing; Ryan still wasn’t sure he understood just how boats managed to stay afloat, but he wasn’t going to question it. He simply appreciated whatever magical force it was that allowed it.

Written along the hull in cursive was the ship’s name:  _Achievement._

It certainly was appropriately named, Ryan thought, pausing to appreciate the craftsmanship again. Now that he was right in front of it, he could pick out the little details that he’d missed from further away: the fact that more stars lined the solid framing of the ship, not just the very bow of it, and the jagged yet beautiful pattern that made up the green trimming that ran alongside those supports. Those two features stuck out to him most, though Ryan was sure he would notice more intricate little things if he could see it in the right light.

He could only hope that he’d get that chance. Reluctantly, Ryan let his hand drop, and he instead turned his attention the rope ladder hanging down from the deck. Ryan took another steadying breath before he grabbed it, set a foot on one of the rungs, and began to climb.

It was frighteningly easy to sneak onto the  _Achievement;_ Ryan was glad that he hadn’t met any opposition. He wasn’t sure what he would have done if there had been a secret sixth member of the crew, waiting back to defend their home while the rest went and enjoyed themselves. All he had to protect himself with was a little dagger - he was confident with it, but wasn’t sure he would have raised a blade to someone from this crew anyway.

Clumsily, Ryan pulled himself up onto the deck. Now was just the matter of where to hide.

Ryan realised now that he was woefully underprepared for this part. He’d never set foot on a ship - the closest he’d come had been the one time he’d helped a merchant unload his much, much smaller boat with the produce he’d brought in from nearby islands. This craft was certainly spacious enough for more than the five people it housed; he was sure that the trapdoor near the mast led into the bowels of the ship, where the crew usually rested and stored their goods.

Unsurprisingly, there was a padlock sealing it shut. If anything, that only confirmed his suspicions that any precious belongings were hidden away down there. As interesting as that was, it didn’t help him now, and made a little ball of panic form heavily in his gut.

He cast around for another idea, but he couldn’t see much above deck. There were stairs on both ends of the ship - a set at the bow, and a set at the stern, leading to another floor that granted access to the wheel for steering the craft. As Ryan looked closer, he realised that between the pair at the stern, there was a door set into the wall.

It was his one last hope, otherwise he’d end up hiding out in the cold tonight - and that wasn’t even taking tomorrow into consideration. There was no way he could hide outside when the ship was actually sailing.

Miraculously, the door was unlocked. Ryan stepped into what seemed, at first, to be a study: towards the back of the room, there was a desk planted directly in front of the little window in the wall. A map was pinned on top of it, and there was a little stack of scrolls to one side. There was a dim glow from a lamp in the corner, allowing Ryan to pick out more details: a locked chest to the right of the door, a couple of bookshelves, and a bed tucked into the left corner.

Understanding flooded through him in an instant. This wasn’t a study - this was Captain Shortbeard’s personal quarters.

As he turned to leave, determined to find a way below deck instead, the sound of distant laughter made Ryan freeze. Mostly, it was the raucous cackle of drunken pirates, but he also heard familiar, delighted giggles from his preferred crew. More time must have passed than he thought if the crews were being kicked out of the tavern.

Ryan didn’t have time to linger.

He snapped the door to Shortbeard’s quarters shut and took another frenzied glance around the room. There was no choice: he had to find a hiding place here, and hope that the captain had had too much ale to notice that anything was amiss. Once he was asleep, Ryan could slip away and hide somewhere on the deck for the night. Maybe he’d be able to find a way into the lower deck once the crew had settled down to sleep, or he could just turn and run back to town.

The ship creaked as the pirates climbed aboard, their footsteps heavy and their laughter bursting out from deep in their bellies. They lingered on the deck for the moment, chatting.

Ryan dived behind the desk and tucked himself underneath it. It wasn’t much of a hiding place, but the rest of the room was so open - he didn’t dare try and squeeze under the low bed with his bag, and there was no doubt that the trunk would be locked and too small to fit in anyway. He crouched, hugging his bag to his chest, heart pounding against it as he waited and tried to slow his breathing.

In his panic, he hadn’t noticed that his bag had knocked the pile of scrolls, sending them cascading across the worn rug.

More footsteps, fading as the owners headed downstairs. Shortbeard opened the door to his quarters, came inside, closed it.

He paused. Ryan held his breath and prayed, even though he wasn’t a religious man.

The slow rasp of a blade emerging from its sheath made a shiver run down Ryan’s spine. He had well and truly fucked up, he knew that now. Of course he’d been discovered - he’d been foolish to think that this would work.

“Ye can come out now. Slowly.”

Ryan’s shoulders sagged. He could only hope that Shortbeard we be as kind as ever, and at least let him leave with his tail tucked between his legs.

Shoving his bag out first, Ryan crawled out from under the desk and rose to his feet. He gripped the straps of it tight to prevent himself from trembling too much; as embarrassed and nervous as he was, he didn’t want to seem weak in front of a captain he admired so much. If he was lucky, maybe Shortbeard wouldn’t be too angry with him. At least he would go down accepting his fate, knowing he’d tried. Maybe he was just destined to spend his life on the tiny, boring island.

But the moment Shortbeard saw him, he lowered his blade, eyebrows jumping up in surprise. “What are ye doin’ here?”

Ryan swallowed hard. “I… wanted to get out.”

Shortbeard snorted. He slid his sword back into its sheath again, and he folded his arms instead. Ryan tried to ignore the way it made his hard earned muscles stand out. “So ye just decided to climb aboard a pirate ship?”

Now that he’d put it like that, it did kind of make his plan seem far weaker than he’d thought it was. Raising a hand, Ryan rubbed the back of his neck, noting the fine tremor of his fingers as they rose past his cheek. He ignored it, forcing himself to keep breathing and talking so he could make it out of this in one piece. “It seemed like a good idea at the time. Wouldn’t have tried to join any other crew this way. You… you guys seem a lot nicer than any other crew, so...”

He watched as Shortbeard tilted his head, considering Ryan. He shifted under his gaze. “Don’t think I ever caught yer name. What do they be callin’ ye?”

 _Ryan_ wasn’t exactly a very pirate-like name, he realised. Hesitating, Ryan scrambled for ideas, desperate to come up with anything that was even remotely fitting. If this was his one chance, he wanted to use it well. “I, uh… Willy Two Legs? Because I be having two legs?”

 _“Christ,_  that didn’t even sound close. That sounded more Irish than pirate.” Shortbeard laughed, bright and warm. The familiarity of it soothed Ryan, the remaining tension coiled tight in his stomach draining away. “If ye want a name for random folk to know ye by, Willy Two Legs it is. I meant yer real name, though, pal. Ye don’t seriously think  _Shortbeard’s_ my given one, do ye?”

Chuckling along, Ryan shrugged a shoulder. “I guess not. I didn’t really think about it. It’s Ryan.”

Like before, Shortbeard approached and stuck out a hand. He waited for Ryan to clasp it before he gave it a firm shake. “The name’s Jeremy. Welcome aboard the  _Achievement_.”

Ryan was so startled that he let go of Shortbeard’s - no, not Shortbeard,  _Jeremy’s_ \- hand. “You’ll let me stay?”

“I don’t see the trouble in adding one more to this bunch.” Jeremy’s eyes sparkled with mischief before he turned, grabbing a spare blanket from the end of his bed. “Here, ye can have this for tonight. We’ll set you up with a proper bunk in the mornin’, I don’t want to disturb the others now. Geoff’s a real fucker when he’s woken up early.”

Given the circumstances, Ryan was more than happy to sleep on the floor for tonight. While Jeremy snuffed out the lamp and settled down in his bed, he took to the floor, using his pack as a pillow and the rug as a mattress. It was a little uncomfortable thanks to the firm wood underneath, but he was so elated that it didn’t matter. At long last, after years of staring longingly at the ocean, he was finally getting his wish: he was leaving the island, and had miraculously managed to join a crew in the process.

“Thank you, Jeremy,” he murmured into the darkness.

He didn’t expect a response; in fact, he was almost certain that the captain had already fallen asleep. Ryan wouldn’t have been insulted if he had, he knew that Jeremy was a drinker from the times he’d met him in the tavern. And yet, to his surprise, there was a quiet, sleepy mumble in return: “Glad to have ye, Ryan.”

Moments later, quiet snores filled the cosy room. Ryan closed his eyes and let the gentle rocking of the sea lull him to sleep.

* * *

Despite the late evening, the crew woke bright and early. Ryan stirred when he heard movement from below deck, but he didn’t truly wake until a warm handed landed on his shoulder. When he raised his head, he realised that Jeremy had given him a gentle shake.

“Mornin’, Ryan,” he said. Then, eyes twinkling, Jeremy added, “Or should I be callin’ ye Willy?”

Ryan groaned as he sat up. “I’m not gonna live that down, am I?”

“Nope.” Jeremy grinned, and rested his hands on his hips as he waited for Ryan to get to his feet. His smile faded a little, a more serious expression crossing his face. “Now, I’ve got to ask: are ye still certain that this is something ye want to do? Once we’re out on the ocean, there’s no goin’ back, not until we reach another port. I wanna warn ye that this is a big commitment. Ye have to decide now, or live with yer decision afterwards.”

Ryan paused, bag in one hand and blanket in the other. He knew that Jeremy was checking for a reason - he couldn’t jump into answering here. So, taking a deep breath, Ryan stood silent for a moment to really consider the question. Was this something he truly wanted? To impulsively hide on board a ship was one thing, but dedicating himself to a life on the sea was another entirely. He had dreamed about this, but had he really considered the consequences?

Yes. He was certain. Ryan might not know the full extent of what he was getting himself into, but this was better than nothing. He wanted the travel, the adventure, the ability to see more of the world and do more in it. There was no way that Ryan was ever going to get that if he stayed on Golden Sands.

“I’m sure,” he promised, nodding firmly.

The captain smiled at him. Ryan was sure that he could detect a little bit of relief and excitement in his features, but he didn’t look into it too much. “Excellent. C’mon, then, the others should be gettin’ up, too. We’ll introduce ye to everyone, get ye settled in, then we’ll set sail. We’ve got treasure to hunt.”

His heart skipped a beat. Ryan had been so wrapped up in escaping that he hadn’t even thought about the thrill of finding treasure.

Jeremy opened up the door and headed out, calling greetings to his crewmates on the deck. Before Ryan shouldered his bag and followed, he folded the blanket and set it on the end of Jeremy’s bed again. He wasn’t going to leave a mess for the captain -  _his_ captain - to clean up, as small as it was.

As he emerged into the sunlight, Ryan’s eyes were drawn to the island that had been his home for so many years. It was strange, he thought, that it was right here - given all that had transpired last night, it almost felt like he’d already been swept up in the adventure, and that he should’ve been far away across the ocean by now. It was strangely grounding to have these two halves of his life now side by side in such a literal fashion.

Ryan turned away from Golden Sands, and instead he looked at the crew.

Some of them seemed a little more haggard than others - Pegpecker and Limpy Dave in particular had the slumped shoulders and squinting eyes of men who’d had a little too much to drink the night before. Jean Luc and Simple Geoff, by comparison, appeared both better rested and amused at their companions’ condition. Their smiles turned to confusion though as they took in the sight of Ryan a couple of paces behind their captain.

“Since when did ye leave with someone last night, Captain?” Jean Luc asked, peering at Ryan curiously over his glasses.

Pegpecker perked up at the question. The beginnings of a grin spread across his lips as he apparently sensed an opportunity for fun. “Or did ye summon him back to yer quarters under cover of darkness? Ye should’ve brought him up with us, Shortbeard, could’ve had a couple of drinks before bed.”

Jeremy shrugged it off with a roll of his eyes. Ryan bit the inside of his cheek to hold back a snort when he saw the man struggling to suppress a smile of his own. “Enough of that now. This is Ryan - ye might recognise him from the tavern. He’ll be joinin’ our crew. And once we get to know ye a little better,” he added, turning to Ryan now and clapping him on the shoulder, “we’ll get ye a proper role on board the ship.”

The idea of settling into some kind of role was a little thrilling, but mostly terrifying. It was a reminder that Ryan didn’t have the same set of skills that these five men did, and he had nowhere near the same amount of experience on the ocean.

He ignored his worries. He was determined and ready to learn, and that had to count for something.

When Jeremy continued, Ryan focused again. He really could command a room’s focus without really trying, he thought.

“First, though, let me introduce ye to everyone now they know yer name. Here we have Geoff and Jack,” Jeremy said, gesturing towards Simple Geoff and Jean Luc with his other hand. The latter offered him a kind smile; Ryan instantly felt at home, any lingering worries starting to drift away with the reassurance. “Then these two troublemakers are Michael and Gavin.” Leaning in and lowering his voice, Jeremy added, “They’re a bit of a handful if you ask me, but they mean no harm.”

Evidently he hadn’t been quiet enough, because Pegpecker - Michael - narrowed his eyes. “Who’re ye callin’ a handful? You’re the least dignified captain I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

Ryan’s eyes widened a little at the sight of such insubordination, but Jeremy just broke out into hearty laughter. “Aye, ye be right,” he agreed, chuckling, “but what would be the fun in me orderin’ ye lot around all the time? It’d be borin’ if ye just did as I asked.”

“No other crew would let ye lead like this anyway,” Gavin said, grinning from where he hung off of Michael’s shoulder. “There would’ve been mutiny by now.”

Shaking his head, Jeremy laid a hand on the banister of the stairs, making his way up to the wheel at the stern of the ship. “And no other crew would have ye, Gavin,” he shot back playfully. “C’mon, we should set sail already. We were only supposed to stop for the night before headin’ out on our voyage. Jack, would ye mind showin’ Ryan the spare bunk while we set off?”

Despite the joking around, the crew dispersed the moment that Jeremy wanted to leave. Ryan was, admittedly, impressed; he’d been able to tell from the start that this crew was different, but he hadn’t realised just how deep that ran until now. Other ships seemed to thrive on fear and causing bloodshed where they could in the pursuit of gold - Jeremy ran things very, very differently. As the  _Achievement_ shifted under his feet, Ryan wasn’t sure if his stomach swooped with the excitement of that or admiration for the captain.

“Follow me,” Jack said, gesturing for Ryan to join him in heading down the folding steps and into the bowels of the ship. Ryan cast one last glance up at Jeremy before he descended.

The first thing Ryan was greeted by was a jail cell. It stood in the centre of the small room, bars rising from floor to ceiling. Inside, however, there were no prisoners - only barrels and the occasional chest. Ryan still raised his eyebrows at the sight of it. “You keep prisoners?”

“Only Gavin when he’s bein’ unruly,” Jack said, chuckling. He swept past the cell, heading instead for a door set into the wall behind it. “We’ve never kept a hostage, and we don’t plan to start. It’s only here in case we might need it - ye can see that we use it more for extra storage.”

They didn’t stop in the next room either, though this one was instantly more appealing. It was the most spacious one he’d seen on the  _Achievement_ yet, with tables and chairs laid out with a few empty plates, complete with what seemed like a little kitchen. Clearly, this was a common room of sorts, and the others had paused for a bite to eat before they retired properly last night. It was actually quite charming, Ryan thought, as he took in the little details that made it seem more like a home: there were a few fully stocked bookshelves, a couple pieces of art hung on the walls, and a pack of cards left strewn about the place.

This did, however, lead to the bedrooms at last. Jack opened the door to the one on the far right and waved Ryan in ahead of him, though Ryan caught him looking a little sheepish. “If we’d known ye were comin’ aboard, we would’ve tidied a little before ye moved in. I’ll give ye a hand, though, ye shouldn’t have to clean up our mess.”

There were two single beds, one on each side of the little room. It wasn’t quite a proper storage room - it was nowhere near organised enough for that; this room was clearly unused, so naturally it had made sense to use it for throwing their junk in. There were a few more crates stacked here and there, both on the ground and on the two beds, and Ryan would put money on them being empty or full of trash.

Ryan set his bag on his chosen bed, the one against the outer wall of the ship, and reached for a stack of boxes. “It’s okay, I’ll help. Where do you want this stuff?”

Jack jerked his head back towards the stepladder. “The real storage room is back that way. Here, I’ll show ye. We can rejoin the others once yer room is tidy.”

* * *

It only took a couple of trips to sort it. Once cleared, it became apparent that his room was small - certainly no bigger than the one he’d had before back at Golden Sands - but the size didn’t matter to Ryan in the slightest. The simple fact that he was free and that this was a space to call his own, one that he didn’t have to share, meant everything to him. He left his bag downstairs, choosing only to bring his dagger after Jack had advised him to.

“Not all pirates are as nice as us,” he had said, patting the sword on his own hip. “It’d be best to bring it with ye until we can get ye fitted with a better blade.”

The moment they emerged onto the upper deck again, Ryan could smell the ocean. It was sharp and clear, sea spray shooting up against the sides of the ship to make pretty arcs in the air. Already, the sun was warm on the back of his neck - idly, Ryan rolled up his sleeves in anticipation of a hot day. The  _Achievement_ lurched as the wind cracked against the sails, propelling it smoothly forwards through the water. At the moment, he was incredibly conscious of the way the ship moved under his feet, but he was sure that that would ease with time, and he would soon ride the waves as easily as the  _Achievement_ herself.

Breathlessly, Ryan looked out across the water. It was both thrilling and terrifying to realise that, for the first time in his life, the only solid ground was that of the ship under his feet. Beneath that, there was only twisting, dark water.

“Ryan!”

Jeremy’s already familiar, joyful voice called to him from the upper deck, drawing his attention away from his reverie. His captain beamed at him, and he gestured for him to join him. Ryan gave Jack one more thanks for his help before he broke away; while he mounted the stairs that led up to the wheel, Jack went to help Michael manage the sails.

Once he was within reach, Jeremy said, “Did ye find a suitable bunk?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Ryan beamed, wide and genuine and excited. He didn’t think he’d ever been able to smile so freely in his life.

“It’s a little dull to start, I know, but in time ye can decorate it with yer findings,” Jeremy promised him. Ryan wasn’t really worried about how plain his room was, but before he could assure Jeremy of that, the captain had already started to steer him towards the stern of the ship. “But never mind that for now. Come and look at this view, I think ye should see it.”

“What do you-  _oh_.”

There, still visible but growing smaller by the moment, was Golden Sands Outpost. The familiar buildings were nearly too small for the naked eye; it wouldn’t be long until he couldn’t pick out the hills he’d wandered in his youth in a poor mimicry of the adventure he’d craved.

It was strangely bittersweet. There hadn’t been anything there for him - no family, no real friends, no lover - and yet…

By leaving, he’d closed a major chapter of his life. It was done, and there was no going back now that he’d made this decision. He knew that by giving himself a taste of this freedom, he wouldn’t be able to settle down again even if he decided that treasure hunting wasn’t what he wanted. Making such a momentous choice had been hard, and while it did sting a little to realise that he’d left several decades’ worth of life behind, Ryan knew he’d chosen correctly.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Jeremy murmured beside him.

Ryan felt his heart jump - he’d almost forgotten that he was there. “It is,” he agreed, just as softly.

Silence fell again for just a moment. Jeremy leaned forwards, folding his arms on the railing and staring out to sea. Ryan glanced at his profile before he too turned his gaze forwards.

Jeremy looked peaceful. It soothed Ryan’s jitters.

“Ye know, ye never told me _why_ ye wanted to leave,” the captain said, simply and easily broaching the topic. “It’s a nice outpost, a decent place. We’ve seen worse on our travels.”

“I know.” Ryan exhaled a slow breath as he planted his hands on the wooden railing, resting his weight on it as he took in the view. He couldn’t tell which hills were which any more. “But it wasn’t for me. I couldn’t… I didn’t like the quiet. It’s too repetitive.”

And, of course, the sea had always held a strange allure. He’d never been able to word exactly what that meant, though, so he didn’t try to now. Perhaps it was just the mystery of it. The unknown. He only hoped he wouldn’t tire of this too after he’d finally managed to get here.

He could see Jeremy starting to smile out of the corners of his eyes. “Not excitin’ enough back home?”

Ryan huffed out a quiet laugh. “Exactly.”

“Well, things will be excitin’ soon enough. Ye can hold me to that.” Straightening again, Jeremy put his back to the ocean after one last lingering, affectionate look. The sheer emotion on his face sent a shiver down Ryan’s spine. “Would ye like to see what we’re voyagin’ for? It’s an interestin’ little riddle. Think it might make a bit more sense when we next hit land.”

As eager to learn as ever, Ryan nodded. Jeremy gave him one of those bright smiles again - they were quickly becoming Ryan’s favourite - and he found himself being whisked away once more.

* * *

_Overflowing and laden with gold,_

_On Cannon Cove lies treasure of old._

It was that little rhyme that drove them towards their next destination: Cannon Cove. Beneath it were more specific instructions - still just as cryptic, but giving further directions on finding just where the treasure was buried. It seemed strange now, but Ryan imagined that they would probably understand it better when they were there and could actually track down the  _‘campfire by a cave’_ that it mentioned.

While in the captain’s quarters again, Jeremy directed Ryan to the map that was spread out on the desk, held in place with pins in its corners. He ran his fingers over it, drawing a line from where they’d started to Cannon Cove. “It’ll take a couple days of travel before we get there,” he said, drumming his fingertips on the desk now, the thump of it muted by the parchment of the map. “Plenty of time for you to get acquainted with the crew and the ship herself, at least.”

Straightening up, Jeremy shot him a sly smile. “What do ye know about sailin’ a ship?”

“Uh.” Ryan shifted a little awkwardly on his feet. “Pretty much nothing. Not in practice, at least. I’ve done my fair share of reading throughout the years.”

“Well, readin’ doesn’t match up to actually doin’ it, but we’ll get ye there, no doubt about it.” Jeremy shifted his gaze back towards the door, and his fingers finally stopped their rhythmic tapping. “How are ye with a blade?”

Ryan squirmed again, realising now just how poor his skills were in comparison to the rest of the crew’s. They all had some kind of specialty, whereas Ryan had little more than basic understanding of all the different areas. He could only hope that Jeremy wouldn’t regret bringing him on now that this was all coming to light. “Passable, I guess?”

“Again, no matter, we can train ye up.” Jeremy flapped a hand as if to brush away the worries. “Michael’s damn good with a sword, he’ll get ye up to par in no time.”

Ryan doubted that somehow, but he wasn’t going to give Jeremy any further reason to throw him off the ship the first chance he got. Jeremy paused again then, though, and Ryan watched as his eyes unfocused a little as the captain lost himself in thought.  Idly, Jeremy turned to rest back against the desk, his hand coming up to cradle his own chin.

He let his own attention wander for the moment rather than disturb Jeremy, taking in small details about the captain’s space that he’d missed last night. There were a few small trophies, no doubt from previous adventures: a few gold coins on one of the bookshelves, a necklace dangling from a post of Jeremy’s bed, and a silver dagger hanging from its sheath on the back wall, to name but a few. Ryan was sure that he would find more if he looked. Unlike his own room at the moment, Jeremy’s quarters showed the signs of being well lived in and well cared for.

It made Ryan eager to get out there, to find something to decorate his own space with. Right now, all he had was a lamp and the few possessions he’d brought with him. Granted, it was only his first day on the ship so he hardly had the resources to decorate it yet, but…

Still. It was a goal to work towards.

Eventually, Jeremy spoke up again, and Ryan turned his focus back to him. It was hard not to be drawn in by his bright, sunny attitude - and even when Jeremy was more serious like this, Ryan found him captivating. “Are there any other things ye would feel more comfortable with?” he asked, brows drawn together as he considered Ryan. “Any roles that would be closer to home, perhaps? Or somethin’ ye know ye can do to keep ye occupied while ye learn other skills?”

“I’m not bad with food,” Ryan said, shrugging a shoulder. “I wasn’t just a barkeep for that tavern, I cooked on occasion, too.” He almost brought up the journal stowed away in his bag too, though Ryan ultimately decided to keep it to himself. Yes, he wanted to chronicle their journeys, but he wasn’t sure whether that idea would be laughed at or not. It certainly wasn’t equal to the skill it took to sail, for example, not in Ryan’s mind.

“We do already have a cook,” Jeremy admitted, “Geoff usually handles that for us, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind a hand in the kitchen now that there’s another mouth to feed.”

It would be a small return to something normal, and it admittedly sounded quite appealing despite how much he’d enjoyed his first day on the sea so far. Ryan was sure that something so simple would be a comforting, solid habit when compared to everything else he would be doing from now on. He might not know how to wield a sword, but he could certainly use a kitchen knife.

First, though, Ryan was passed off to another crew member again. This time, it was Michael that took him under his wing, escorting him back downstairs once more and back to the now familiar store room. The boxes he and Jack had moved were tucked away into a corner, left to be sorted through at a later date.

“Jeremy wanted a blade for ye, didn’t he?” Michael asked, stroking a thumb along his jaw as he considered the rack of swords along one wall. For what was a mostly passive pirate ship, Ryan was surprised at the amount of weapons they had - though, he supposed that maybe they just called themselves peaceful because they never made the first attack. They had to defend themselves somehow. “And ye weren’t one for swordplay before?”

“Never used one,” Ryan confirmed with a nod.

“Somethin’ simple, then,” Michael continued, mostly muttering to himself. He cocked his head as he scanned the rack, passing over the heavy, thick claymores and short, sharp daggers. With a satisfied hum, he chose a wickedly curved cutlass, its length somewhere in between. “This’ll do. Ye might want to account for the shape of it, but I think ye’ll find it quicker to swing than a more traditional blade.”

When Michael offered it to him, Ryan curled his fingers around the hilt. They settled comfortably under the guard over his knuckles as he took in the weight of it. It was actually surprisingly easy to bear, given he had little experience.

“How does it feel?” Michael asked. Ryan felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as Michael watched him, gaze darting over his form - he got the impression that Michael was picking up on small details that Ryan himself had no idea he was displaying. “Too cumbersome? Or a little too light, perhaps?”

“No, it- it’s good,” Ryan assured him. He took a step back from Michael and gave it a small, experimental swipe through the air. While he found himself a little off balance, he was sure that that would be solved with more training. “It’s a good start, I think?”

Something in those dark eyes sparkled. “Aye, it’ll do for now. We’ll be trainin’ with some pieces of wood we have anyway, no need to use a blade until you’re confident you won’t do unintentional damage.”

That, Ryan had to admit, was a very fair point. Conscious now that he was waving around a weapon, he tucked it back against his side, his cheeks flushing a little. “Is there a sheath I can use for this?” He had noticed that even though the crew didn’t seem to be the type to break out into infighting, they all still carried their preferred blades with them - it never hurt to be prepared now that they were out in open water, like Jack had said. The pirates might be civil on neutral islands, but the sea was anyone’s game.

Michael did a little more rummaging, and he soon produced a matching sheath for Ryan’s new cutlass. He settled it onto his hip, and he already found himself appreciating the new, comforting weight of it.

Training wouldn’t come yet, though - at least, not when it came to fighting. When they emerged from below deck, Ryan was once again handed over to another member of the crew: Gavin.

At first, Ryan had thought he seemed a little clumsy, but he quickly realised that Gavin was actually quite intelligent. He led Ryan around the ship, explaining that he often manned the sails while Jeremy steered the ship and Jack watched from the crow’s nest. Gavin spoke so eloquently despite the rough pirate accent that he might as well have been a scholar; idly, he tweaked the sails here and there as they went, seemingly already knowing which way they needed to head without any direction from their captain.

“That’s impressive,” Ryan commented, eyebrows raised as Gavin once again secured the ropes with ease, despite how strong the pull of the sails must have been.

Gavin shot him a grin. “I’ve had plenty of time to work it all out,” he said, shrugging once his hands were free. “Between Jack and Jeremy, I always know which way we need to go anyway. It’s not hard, to be honest.”

They were a seamless team, Ryan realised, as he continued to observe. Jack would call from way up in his perch; Jeremy would relay the instructions to Gavin; the lad would rush to correct the sails, letting them down or hiking them up again depending on how much speed they needed. Gavin assured him that he wanted Ryan to learn this too - two was always better than one for such work, given the size of the ship - and before long, Gavin began coaching him through the motions of it. It was deceptively demanding work; Gavin was slender but must have been packed with lean muscle to pull, hold, and tie the sails into the exact position that he wanted.

Later, it was somewhat startling to realise that the sun had long since passed its highest point. In fact, it was fast approaching sunset; when Ryan glanced back into the distance, Golden Sands was long gone.

He’d never felt more at home.

* * *

Geoff came to him not long after. Gavin dismissed him from his work with a smile and a wave, and Ryan stretched his aching arms and shoulders with a groan. Next to him, Geoff chuckled as he took Ryan down into the common room, already rolling up his sleeves.

“How’re you finding it so far?” he asked, glancing back at Ryan.

Instead of answering, Ryan paused for a step in surprise. “You don’t sound like the others,” he said, quickly catching up again.

Geoff barked out a laugh. “That’s because when we first set sail together, none of us had that accent, but I guess it stuck with those guys. I have no fucking clue where it came from.”

“Weird,” Ryan agreed. He wondered if one day he’d end up adopting such an accent, or whether he’d hold onto his native one like Geoff. To be honest, he wasn’t sure which idea he preferred.

“So, Jeremy said you were more of a cooking guy before,” Geoff continued. He led the way into the tiny kitchen area; Ryan lingered by a counter and watched him collect ingredients. He wasn’t going to interrupt when he had no idea what the standard was for food on a pirate ship, but he was eager to observe and learn, maybe lend a hand where he could. “I could use a little help now and again. I spend a lot of time gathering and fishing while we’re still, especially while they go drinking.”

“Not a fan?” Ryan asked. He was sure he’d seen Geoff drinking in the tavern before - it would have been several seasons ago, though.

Geoff shrugged a shoulder as he laid a few fish out on the counter. “Used to be, but it didn’t agree with me. I leave the drinking to the other four now. I just focus on relaxing with a fishing pole and keeping those fuckers fed.”

Working beside Geoff was calming, especially with a task that was so familiar to him. Geoff must have found a way to stock up either on the island or before it; so much of what he had was fresh, including the fish, though he assured Ryan that he’d caught those himself.

Ryan wasn’t so in tune with the  _Achievement’s_ motions yet that he could detect quite when they stopped - to him, the rocking of the ocean made it a much more subtle feeling. Geoff, however, glanced back at the stepladder briefly. “They’ll be down soon, pretty sure they just set down the anchor,” he said when Ryan sent a questioning look his way. “It’s not like we have more people who can sail for us overnight. Jeremy doesn’t like sailing in the dark anyway.”

Sure enough, the remaining four trooped downstairs within a few minutes, and just in time. Between them, Geoff and Ryan set out the night’s dinner, much to the delight of their crew. It was only when Ryan sat down - he was invited to sit between Jeremy and Gavin - that he realised that he hadn’t eaten at all that day. His stomach snarled and his insides aching with hunger, so he eagerly tucked into his meal.

For the four drinkers, ale was shared out in heavy wooden cups; for Geoff and Ryan, there was water, nice and cool where it had been in the darkness all day. After a few moments of silent eating, conversation broke out and, eventually, flowed, eased by their full bellies and the bit of alcohol at the table. It was surprisingly easy for Ryan to find his footing in the conversation, he realised; Jeremy in particular made an effort to draw him in, offering that bright smile that made Ryan’s stomach flip after only one day.

It was on Michael and Gavin to clean up from their dinner. Their quiet, playful bickering could be heard even from across the room, adding some more pleasant chatter to the background noise. While they cleared it all up, Jack grabbed the cards, shuffled them, and offered a game to those still at the table. Ryan knew he had a pretty good poker face - he’d played a few games in the tavern - so he readily agreed.

It was the perfect way to finish the evening, passing the time together laughing and cursing each other out  when they won. The other two joined them once the tidying was done, and Ryan lost track of how long they spent playing cards at the dinner table. There wasn’t a dull moment, and Ryan felt thoroughly welcomed now instead of just awkwardly curious.

When they all eventually retired for the night, there had been several rounds of drinks as well as games. Jeremy waved them a merry goodbye - and gave Ryan a one armed hug, much to his surprise - before he headed on up to his personal cabin. The other four headed off to their own rooms in pairs: Michael and Geoff to the far left, Jack and Gavin to the middle.

Ryan, for his part, stumbled wearily into his own room on the right, and collapsed into his bed. He ached all over and his cheeks hurt from how much he’d been grinning. He barely had time to undress and crawl under his blankets before he promptly fell asleep, the traces of a smile still on his lips.

* * *

“That,” Jeremy said, “is Cannon Cove.”

Ryan stood next to him, peering out at the tiny bits of land before them. It would be the first time in a couple days now that he’d laid eyes on solid land; it was a little bit surreal, but as he’d already heard from the other members of the crew, it offered opportunities for supplies as well as treasure. It certainly wasn’t an unwelcome sight.

His second day on board the _Achievement_ had passed much like the first. There had been time spent together in the morning, snacking on some hard biscuits that Geoff had stored away, before they all separated to their stations. Much like the first day, Ryan had helped Gavin with the sails for most of it, with a break around midday to learn a few fighting techniques from Michael. He was nowhere near proficient when they eventually finished, though that was to be expected. Ryan found himself sweating from being pushed to his physical limit under the hot sun, and had returned to helping Gavin, finding a new appreciation for what seemed like a slightly more relaxing task in the process.

Now, though, they had finally reached Cannon Cove, and Ryan realised that he was about to hunt treasure for the first time. His heart twisted in his chest with excitement.

“It’ll take a little lookin’ first to find the right cave,” Jeremy said, sounding more like he was talking to himself, “but it’s only a small bit of land. Shouldn’t take too long. Easy enough to have it all done and be back on the ship by sundown.”

There was no pier for them to use since it was an unoccupied island, so the  _Achievement_ had to be anchored a little further out - nobody wanted to risk her getting stuck in the sand. Gavin tossed the rope ladder over the side so they could lower themselves down into a couple of little rowboats and make their way over to solid land rather than swim through the water.

Ryan’s first step onto the sand sent him tilting; his balance was so off centre after he’d only just gotten used to the motion of the ship. He flung out an arm and caught Jeremy by the shoulder, who chuckled as he helped keep him upright.

“Takes a little gettin’ used to,” Jeremy admitted. His arm looped around Ryan’s waist, solid and warm and steady, as he led him over to the start of the grassy centre of the island. Ryan’s throat had gone tight; he didn’t have the heart to tell Jeremy that it had only been a momentary lapse in balance, that he didn’t need to hold onto him quite like that.

He’d only known Jeremy properly for a couple of days, but he already knew he was a goner. The captain was handsome, had a kind heart, and had welcomed Ryan readily into his world. Really, he hadn’t stood a chance.

“Yeah, I guess,” Ryan managed after a moment, clearing his throat to get rid of the annoying hike in pitch. “I didn’t even realise I’d been compensating for it on the ship.”

“It happens, don’t ye worry. We all stumble from time to time, even now.” Jeremy gave him a pat on the side before he withdrew his arm. Ryan quickly missed the warmth of it.

Jeremy moved away, and Ryan turned to take his place beside the rest of the crew as they approached, handing out shovels as they went. Behind them, their rowboats were beached securely on the sand, high enough that the tide couldn’t steal them while they were gone; Ryan could also see that someone had tied them to spikes they’d hammered into the ground for good measure. It was good to know, since Ryan wasn’t keen on the idea of swimming back to the  _Achievement_ while hopefully weighed down with treasure.

“Right,” Jeremy said, clapping his hands together. “Ye all know the landmark we’re lookin’ for, and what to do when ye find it. We don’t have a lot of ground to cover, so we can split into pairs for this one, I think.”

Immediately, Gavin latched onto Michael’s arm - only for the latter to yank it free with a growled, “Fuck that, I’ll go with Jack.”

 _“Michael.”_  Gavin pouted, but Ryan could see he was fighting back a smile to match Michael’s own barely hidden amusement.

“Nope,” Michael continued, just as firmly as before. He leaned closer to Jack, arms folded firmly. Ryan bit the inside of his cheek to stop his own chuckles as Michael steadfastly ignored Gavin’s playful whining over the matter.

Ryan only realised a moment later that that meant he’d be paired up with Jeremy. As luck would have it, the captain was already smiling at him in such a warm, genuinely pleased way that Ryan’s stomach suddenly felt like it was filled with butterflies. “Hope ye don’t mind bein’ paired up with me,” Jeremy joked.

“Of course I don’t mind,” Ryan assured him - though he was sure that this was bound to give him a heart attack before long. When he’d imagined joining a pirate crew, he certainly hadn’t expected to form a crush on the captain after only two days.

It was certainly a problem, and yet Ryan was quickly discovering that he was somewhat of a masochist - or maybe he was just willing to soak up any bit of attention he could get from Jeremy. He couldn’t see any way that the feeling would be mutual anyway, but still he let it stay,  _indulged_ it, if only because he knew it would be hard to shift when they spent every day together. As far as he knew, relationships weren’t a thing amongst crew members anyway, so really, entertaining it was a bit of a double edged sword.

That didn’t much help now, though. Ryan knew he was in too deep, too quick, but he was stuck living with it. He couldn’t exactly take his leave in the middle of the ocean.

They split off into their pairs, each taking a different path. Ryan and Jeremy headed into the trees, cutting back some of the undergrowth as they went, though only enough to form an easy path. It was wonderfully cool under the canopy, providing some much needed shade after his days out in the sun; already, Ryan’s skin was a little red from more exposure to the elements than he was used to. Birdsong was also a welcome surprise - Ryan hadn’t even realised that he’d missed that sound. There hadn’t been a quiet moment on board the ship to notice its absence.

Gradually, the foliage cleared, opening up to present them with a rocky hill and the remains of a campsite. It was all clearly old; the campfire had long since crumbled past the point of ash, leaving only a circle of stones to indicate what had once been there, and Ryan was pretty sure he could see the abandoned strap of a bag hidden behind a hollowed out log. Whatever it had contained was probably long gone, too.

Ahead of them, buried in the rocks, was an opening, vanishing into darkness. Ryan pointed at it. “Looks like we found our campsite and cave.”

“Aye,” Jeremy said, lowering his sword to his side and scanning their surroundings. “Now we just need to find the treasure itself. It won’t be too far, it’s only nine paces out from here, allegedly.”

“ _Allegedly_ ,” Ryan agreed. There was no telling how accurate the instructions had been; it could even be a second riddle, something they hadn’t quite realised until now.

First, though, it was worth trying the most obvious answer. Jeremy tugged a compass out of his pocket, the chain dangling from his belt as he raised it in his palm. The riddle hadn’t given them a clear starting point to work from either, so they could only guess that it was halfway between their two landmarks.

Then there was the matter of distance. Nine paces ended up being quite different for the two of them - not a significant amount, but it quickly became clear that Ryan had longer strides. He hadn’t pointed out the captain’s height before, and Ryan would have kept quiet if it weren’t for Jeremy’s amused snort when they noticed that they were roughly a step apart from each other.

“Well,” Ryan said slowly, raising his eyebrows, “do you think their nine paces would be closer to here, or-”

“Ye be catchin’ onto the crew’s habits too quickly.” Jeremy pointed a finger at him like he was about to scold him, but Ryan could tell there was no real threat there. There was a familiar twinkle in Jeremy’s eyes.

So, trying - and failing - to hold back a grin, Ryan added, “You’re the one who invited me into your crew, Captain.”

Jeremy dropped his hand with a huff. “Aye, I did,” he admitted. “And even if they’re bad influences, ye were a very welcome addition. Ye dig in yer spot, and I’ll dig at mine. Maybe we’ll be lucky and the treasure won’t be so hard to find after all.”

Ryan ignored the way that Jeremy’s words made his heart flip in his chest. Instead, he stuck his shovel into the sand and started digging, focusing on the search for their quarry instead of just how he, the most inexperienced man on the ship, was a ' _welcome addition'._

Neither of them were successful at first. Jeremy only let him get a couple of swings deep before he said it wasn’t worth it - buried treasure tended to be relatively close to the surface, he said, because those who hid it didn’t want as much hassle when recovering it. Rather than start over again, though, Ryan reached out to touch Jeremy’s shoulder and said, “Why don’t we try digging between our two spots?”

The first stab of the shovel rewarded them with a dull  _thunk._

Jeremy looked up at Ryan with a grin. He could feel that he was wearing a similar expression, excitement and surprise coursing through him and leaving him buzzing, wanting  _more._

As Jeremy scraped sand off of the lid of the treasure chest, he casually said, “Ye know, ye might be more suited to this than ye first thought.”

Ryan had no idea if Jeremy knew how much that meant to him, but it twisted his heart all over again anyway.

* * *

Jeremy had been right about the timing. The sun was setting by the time they returned to the _Achievement,_  weighed down with treasure just like Ryan had hoped. While the other pairs hadn’t been at the site of the main chest, they had stumbled across smaller ones as they searched. The storage room was even more cramped than before now with the addition of a large chest full of gold coins, a couple of smaller ones holding some precious gems, and a nice blade that Michael tenderly added to the rack next to its siblings.

“Not a bad haul,” Jeremy said, planting his hands on his hips as he looked it all over.

“Cause for celebration, perhaps?” Gavin asked. He pointed over his shoulder with a thumb, back towards the kitchen, with a hopeful look.

Rolling his eyes, Michael dragged him in with an arm around his shoulders. “Any excuse to get the ale out,” he teased. Laughing, the pair vanished back into the common room and moments later Ryan heard the telltale slosh of liquid into the heavy wooden mugs he’d become so familiar with. Amusingly, though, the moment that Jeremy caught onto the fact that they really were drinking instead of only joking about it, he followed just as quickly; if there was one thing he’d learned for sure about Jeremy over the past few days, it was that the man loved his drink. The three younger members of the crew certainly jumped at any chance to have it.

Every evening so far had been full of merriment, but this was a new level. At first, there was the usual bubble of noise from talking and laughter, and then Michael brought out a little stringed instrument. Ryan was sure that the lad had had a substantial amount to drink so far, so it was even more impressive when he flawlessly began to play and sing, much to the delight of his crewmates.

For the most part, he regaled them with funny little ditties, mostly about the success of the day with a few crude jokes mixed in for good measure. As the evening wore on and he consumed more alcohol, they became more focused on the latter option, directing them at his crewmates with a smirk and a wink.

Back in the tavern, Ryan had always been the only sober one, even amongst staff. He’d hated the noise and resented the rowdy atmosphere the place attracted. It had only ever been a place of discomfort, somewhere that made him realise just how much he didn’t quite fit in there. He’d put on a smile, serve drinks, and wish for home - not that home had been much nicer.

Now, though, this  _was_ home. Ryan found himself laughing along with Michael’s sea shanties and delighting in the noise that swelled throughout the cabin. Not once did someone try to press a drink on him after he had refused for the first time.

Truly, he thought, he’d found his home at last. As bittersweet as it had been to leave the island, it hadn’t held anything for him - but here, he’d found  _everything_ so quickly.

There was still the small matter of his soft spot for the captain, though Ryan wasn’t about to ask the questions that would give him the answers he wondered about. The other four were affectionate in ways that one might reserve for more romantic interests - Gavin was the biggest example of the physical part of that, forever touching or pawing at Geoff, Jack, and Michael - but that didn’t necessarily mean that that was the case. It would be rude to pry, anyway.

If Ryan was the first to bring up the subject, he was only going to be asked questions in return, so he decided to keep his mouth shut.

* * *

As it happened, Ryan didn’t need to actually ask. Some of those questions were answered for him the moment he retired that night, and he didn’t have to voice a single one of the things plaguing his mind.

He settled down in his bunk, the lamp casting a dull, flickering glow across his room, but it was enough to see his journal. He hadn’t yet had a chance to actually describe his experiences - he’d been so exhausted the past few nights that he’d simply laid down and gone to sleep - so Ryan had decided that now was as good a time as any. The last thing he wanted to do was forget any part of this incredible experience so far.

The furthest he got was writing about his first day with the sails. Before Ryan could even mention the Cannon Cove riddle, the sound of wood creaking made him pause.

It wasn’t the ship’s natural noises, he knew that much. He’d become pretty familiar with those over the past few days; it groaned with the push and pull of the ocean, whether it was in motion or sitting still. At night, it was even comforting to have in the background, helping Ryan sleep better than he ever had on land. Actual true silence was hard to come by, though Ryan had found the  _Achievement’s_ noises to be more comforting than annoying.

This, though, was different.

Another creak. A low, warm laugh (Geoff’s, he thought) - and then, unmistakably, a quiet moan.

Ryan’s cheeks heated. Well, that answered the question on whether they were allowed to pursue relationships within the crew. Perhaps that was why Geoff and Michael had a room together, he thought. It would make sense to keep the couple together, so they could get some privacy whenever they-

His train of thought ground to a sudden halt. There was a third voice, just as soft, but Ryan could hear enough to realise that it wasn’t Geoff or Michael. It was Jack.

Following that was Gavin’s familiar, delighted giggle.

Ryan buried his face in his hands.  _Of course._ Now it was all so obvious. He’d been completely correct when he’d read into the crew’s interactions; he just hadn’t wanted to assume.

Quickly, Ryan scooped up his journal, turned out the light, and slipped out of his room. As he headed for the steps up onto the deck, he noticed the door to the middle bedroom had been left ajar, but the far left remained firmly shut; they’d done him the courtesy of going to the room furthest from his, at least, but he still wasn’t going to take his chances and linger. He didn’t want to hang around and overhear something so intimate, something he wasn’t part of, and there was no way he’d be able to sleep with that noise.

As silently as he could, Ryan closed the trapdoor to the lower deck - and then all he could hear was the ocean.

While there weren’t lamps out here, the light of the moon would hopefully be enough for him to write. It would have to do.

Ryan didn’t get further than halfway to the stairs, though. He’d intended to take a seat there, but the door to the captain’s quarters opening made him jump and stop where he was.

And then, immediately after, Ryan’s heart sunk as understanding set in.

He was so flustered that he’d missed another detail. If the other four were together, it would be no surprise to find out that Jeremy was with them. After all, they’d all been on the ship together a long time before Ryan had arrived. Naturally, they would all have a deeper bond than the one they had with him, despite how welcoming they’d been - and it wouldn’t be shocking if the captain was also part of that. Jeremy was probably on his way down there right now to join in.

Ryan felt foolish for both not picking up on it sooner and for indulging his own feelings for so long.

Instead of vanishing downstairs, though, Jeremy started when he caught sight of Ryan, frozen with his journal tucked under his arm. Jeremy blinked at him in quiet confusion. “What’re ye doin’ up and about?”

What was he supposed to say? He hadn’t anticipated something like this. He hadn’t even  _thought_ about Jeremy, he’d been so wrapped up in his own embarrassment. “I wanted some fresh air?” Ryan said after a long pause, phrasing it like a question.

That only seemed to confuse Jeremy further - seconds later, though, he too seemed to understand. He glanced at the trapdoor with widening eyes and, to Ryan’s confusion, he seemed to be fighting back a smile. “Ah. I see why ye would want that. Apologies.” He pointed his thumb at the stairs Ryan had been heading towards. “Do ye want some company?”

Ryan stared, confused. “You’re not joining them?”

Jeremy blinked at him. “Why would I join them?”

“Aren’t you with them?” Ryan asked, gesturing helplessly at the trapdoor. As he spoke, he tried to ignore the part of him that was squirming with shame now - he could wallow in his misery and feel bad for himself once Jeremy was on his way. “You don’t have to miss out just because I’m up here.”

As he shook his head, a smile indeed finally broke out across Jeremy’s face. He seemed amused in a fond way, like he was a little flustered with Ryan. “I’m not missin’ out because I’m not  _with_ them, Ryan.”

 _“Oh.”_ Now he was embarrassed for a different reason. He felt his cheeks colour again, and he looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. “I… I thought- when I heard that they were-”

Thankfully, Jeremy didn’t seem to be laughing at him. He moved to stand beside Ryan, reaching out to give his shoulder a comforting little squeeze; Ryan closed his eyes as his stomach flip-flopped from the gesture, as if by doing so he could make the sensation stop. “Nah. They did offer a long time ago, but it’s not for me. I prefer to stick to one partner.”

“Me too,” Ryan croaked. He swallowed hard, forcing his eyes open again, though he still couldn’t meet Jeremy’s gaze. “Never really had anything before, though. There was a, uh, lack of people who felt the same way I do, where I come from.”

Ryan knew he’d been vague - he had chosen his words carefully on purpose, still nervous about admitting anything even though Jeremy was clearly the most accepting captain out there - but to his utter amazement, Jeremy nodded. “Aye, I know what you mean. It was the same where I come from. Here, though, there’s nothin’ to stop any of ye from bein’ yourself.”

He wasn’t sure how to reply to that. Ryan let the silence sit for a moment, and before he could think of anything to say, Jeremy spoke up again, much to his relief. “So, I’ll ask ye again,” he said, gently prodding Ryan’s arm to make him look over again. Jeremy was smiling, his expression soft around the edges. “Do ye want company out here?”

The soft light of the night did Jeremy justice, Ryan thought. The captain was positively radiant, the warmth of his welcoming smile so obvious even in the dark.

He wasn’t sure if there was any further meaning to Jeremy’s question. He was still too scared to ask, even though the door was open now.

“I’d love some company,” Ryan admitted. He sunk down onto one of the steps, glad to take the weight off of his feet.

When Jeremy settled next to him, he could feel the heat of him where they were pressed arm to arm. “Do ye know much about the stars, Ryan?” Jeremy asked, glancing sideways as he leaned back on his elbows. “Any stories that ye might’ve heard growin’ up?”

“Not much,” he sighed wistfully. Subtly, Ryan tucked his journal under his thigh for now. He’d get back to writing later.

“I could tell ye a few, if ye like.”

“I’d love to hear them.”

As Jeremy began to speak, Ryan closed his eyes again - not to block anything out, but so he could bask in the rumble of Jeremy’s voice as he spun tales based on the constellations hanging overhead. If the staircase hadn’t been digging into his back, it would have been easy to drift off to sleep with Jeremy talking softly beside him.

* * *

They headed off again the following day, leaving Cannon Cove behind. Ryan found that he couldn’t quite look the crew in the eye the next morning, but he didn’t think they noticed; they seemed so wrapped up in themselves, sharing looks and laughs and subtle touches. It was quite sweet, really, and it had Ryan’s chest aching for something similar, something he hadn’t had in several long years.

Briefly, they stopped at an outpost before they headed too deep into the Wilds: Dagger Tooth. Given its location, Jeremy quietly recommended that they kept their hands on their blades at all times - the Wilds weren’t a kind part of the sea, and even the outposts it was home to could be dangerous at times. They needed provisions, though, especially when they were due to head deeper into treacherous waters for their next voyage.

Ryan had never seen the  _Achievement’s_ crew quite like this. For once, they were serious as they tied up at the dock and climbed down from the ship. Jack carried one of the treasure chests over his shoulder, and the rest of them formed tightly around him with Jeremy at their head; as risky as it was to carry their precious cargo so obviously, Ryan knew that it was how they were going to pay for everything they needed. They couldn’t leave it all behind even if they wanted to.

As they headed deeper into the outpost, Ryan caught sight of a notice board. It was mostly covered in various signs and jobs, but Ryan also saw some old, peeling wanted posters with familiar faces on them. There was Jeremy who, of course, had the highest bounty on his head as the captain. Jack, Geoff, and Gavin were all beside him, distinctive even though the ink from the pictures had long since faded.

The fifth poster wasn’t as obvious, though. While the freckled face wore a familiar scowl, the hair was longer, and the name printed underneath was female.

Michael noticed where Ryan was looking, and after a moment of peering at the board, he snorted. “The least they could do is update the damn posters. I cut my hair years ago, the bastards.”

Ryan understood at once, and he hummed an acknowledgement. “That’s a little rude of them.”

“Eh, it’s Dagger Tooth. I wouldn’t expect these people to try and keep up.” Rolling his eyes, Michael faced forwards again - though not before he shot Ryan a grin. “It won’t be long until ye get a poster here too, I should imagine.”

“What about the other outposts?”

“Oh, it’s only the Wilds. Nobody trusts anyone here, least of all pirates, even if we do its people favours now and again. The Shores of Plenty are much kinder to those of us who try to stay friendly.”

Thankfully, trading wasn’t a problem. People eyed them up, evidently remembering their faces and recognising them for who they were, but nobody tried to stop them from speaking to merchants. Ryan could feel a few heavy, curious gazes lingering on him, no doubt wondering who the newcomer was, but he kept his chin high and refused to indulge them. It was still a relief to return to the  _Achievement_ and leave Dagger Tooth as soon as they were able, though.

Next up on their journey was a bounty they had picked up before the crew’s brief stay at Golden Sands, and before Ryan had joined them. Supposedly, Sunken Grove was home to a particularly nasty skeleton problem, and it was close enough to a smaller inhabited island to be a significant worry to those who lived there.

“Skeletons?” Ryan asked as they all crowded around the desk in Jeremy’s quarters.

“Aye,” Jack said, nodding. “Ye might not have seen it back at Golden Sands, but out here, particularly in the Wilds, ye might find skeletons risin’ like they were livin’ again. It’s the spirits of those left to starve, or they drown tryin’ to escape that fate.”

Shuddering, Gavin added, “Poor bastards.”

“Not such poor bastards if ye heard what they were up to,” Jack said darkly.

It had surprised Ryan at first to find out that they would perform such a mercenary-like service but, of course, this was no ordinary pirate crew. They were easily some of the most kind, friendly pirates Ryan had ever met, even when the people paying them were as wary as the Dagger Tooth Outpost residents. When he actually thought about it, though, it wasn’t actually that surprising that they would take on tasks like this - for a fee, of course.

Travelling there would take several more days yet, something that Ryan was grateful for. If their next job meant fighting, then he absolutely wanted to hone his abilities before he faced up to such a dangerous situation. He didn’t want to be the weak link in a fight, whether that was against skeletons or fellow pirates; it wouldn’t be fair to drag down his crew when they were already battling for their lives. However, that had to be fit in around other kinds of training.

Back at Golden Sands, the repetitive days had been boring - here, there was so much to learn that Ryan didn’t mind falling into a pattern. He was by no means a master of the sails like Gavin, but he had picked up on it quickly enough to help him reliably in the morning when attention to detail was particularly important.

Once they were off on the right path, Michael would drag him into the biggest bit of empty space they had on the deck, throw him a piece of wood, and they would spend the rest of the day sparring. If Michael was just as determined to get his fighting skills up to par before they landed at Sunken Grove, Ryan was thoroughly grateful. Michael certainly put him through his paces, showing no mercy when he would rap his knee or ribs with the end of his fake sword; the best way to learn, Michael said, was by making the consequences as real as possible.

Because of that, Ryan would go to bed each night aching and bruised, but he always felt like he’d improved. Both Michael and the rest of the crew seemed more and more impressed each time they finished a session, at least.

He cooked with Geoff every evening, picking up on interesting ways to make their food stores into something different and delicious each time. It was fascinating to see him use the same ingredients to make a dish that Ryan hadn’t tried on the ship yet, or tweak an old one enough that it wouldn’t be boring to eat again. Geoff also readily listened to Ryan’s suggestions, and once or twice they sat down to eat a meal that he’d given the recipe for.

With Jack, Ryan learned the beginnings of navigation. While he wasn’t brave enough to climb up into the crow’s nest - and neither was Jeremy, much to his amusement; the captain turned pale at the mere mention of him going any higher than the upper deck - he paid close attention to what Jack taught him about their various maps. He showed Ryan how to read a compass, how to relate that to their location on a map, and let him gaze out of his telescope for far too long, enchanted as always by the beautiful view surrounding them each day.

And then there was Jeremy.

The captain didn’t sit down and teach him much like the others did. Instead, they met up on the deck almost every night to look out at the stars.

Jeremy had taken to bringing out a blanket for them to lay on so they could get the best view. On their backs, side by side, Ryan would follow the point of his finger as Jeremy traced shapes in the stars, naming constellations or weaving stories that Ryan had never heard. He laid there, breathless, his hands folded on his chest to feel the pounding of it under his palms, as Jeremy spoke. His steady voice made every tale just as charming as the last, though nothing matched up to having the storyteller himself devote so much time and attention to him. That was the true magic of those evenings.

Each night, Jeremy greeted Ryan with the same sweet smile and warm hug. Ryan wasn’t sure if they began to linger, or whether that was just his imagination. On more than one occasion, he’d come close to drifting off to sleep next to Jeremy, his head lolling towards the man’s shoulder, until he nudged Ryan and quietly urged him to go to bed if he was tired. There was always such genuine care in his words that Ryan helplessly tumbled deeper into his feelings for him, unable and unwilling to brush them off when it felt so real.

It was only a matter of time then before Jeremy turned up in his dreams.

Ryan woke with a start, painfully hard and pressing his hips against his mattress. He buried a groan in his pillow at the sweet pressure, his cheeks flaming with arousal and embarrassment.

The dream had felt so real. He could recall Jeremy’s fond laugh made lower with desire, calloused hands roaming over his sides, the warm press of lips under his jaw…

Ryan bit down on the edge of his pillowcase. Going over the dream again had only made things worse, adding to the slow, hot drip of arousal in his stomach. There would be no ignoring this, he knew that - not now, and definitely not later when he had to face Jeremy again. He could only hope that the captain wouldn’t pick up on any lingering shame.

Taking a deep breath, Ryan rolled over onto his back, slipped a hand under the covers, and wrapped a hand around himself. That alone was enough of a relief that he had to stifle himself with his other hand over his mouth; in all the time he’d been on board the  _Achievement_ now, he hadn’t once masturbated. He’d either been too tired when he fell into his bed at night or he hadn’t felt the desire to with how exciting everything else about his new life was. It was no surprise really that arousal was suddenly hitting him full force, considering he was used to indulging when he wanted to.

When the stroke of his fingers was too rough, Ryan gave his palm a quick lick. He was made clumsy by want and the lingering edges of his rest, determined to just get off and get back to sleep for however many hours remained. And, as flustered as he was, he couldn’t help calling back to the flashes of the dream he could remember, drawing on them for inspiration to hurry himself towards the finish line.

Dark eyes, playful but wanting. Broad shoulders under his hands, firm with muscle. A kiss made rough by desire.

His hips jerked up sharply as he came over his belly, and Ryan muffled his moan into his own palm desperately. The relief of it was instant, the pleasure sharp and wonderful after time without it. As Ryan came down from his high, he tipped his head back against his pillow, panting harshly to catch his breath. After a few minutes to recover and bask in the glow, he wiped himself down with a corner of the sheets, and before he had time to feel ashamed of himself, he was asleep again.

* * *

If Jeremy noticed anything different about Ryan’s attitude, he didn’t mention it. Ryan tried to act as normally as possible, even though little things about Jeremy inevitably reminded him of the dream. Given how fresh it all was in his mind, it was hard to put it to one side, especially when he spent so much time around Jeremy anyway, laughing and joking and stargazing. He was utterly smitten, and while he couldn’t help wondering whether there was something more to their interactions, Ryan couldn’t bring himself to take the first step with it.

The  _Achievement’s_ arrival at Sunken Grove marked two weeks since Ryan had been on the sea. It was strange to realise that, but he’d managed to date and record something for each day in his journal; he could clearly see how far he’d come, how much he’d learned. While a little scary to see plainly how much his life had changed, it was also incredible to see some proof that all of this was real, and not just an incredibly long dream.

They didn’t disembark straight away when they reached the island. Jeremy called for the  _Achievement_ to halt a short distance away, enough that they would need the rowboats again. It was easy to see why Jeremy wanted to be cautious, though.

The island of Sunken Grove looked like any other - sandy, rocky, full of trees - but there was a sense of foreboding about the place, as heavy as the mist that sluggishly rolled across it. Something about it sent a chill down Ryan’s spine; every instinct he possessed screamed at him to turn away, to run, to leave. He rubbed the back of his neck, as if by doing so he could chase away the creeping, crawling feeling that slipped down over his shoulders to add to the cold shiver of fear that rushed through him.

Whatever dark magic bound the spirits of the lost pirates to their skeletons was a very real, frightening presence. Being in Sunken Grove’s very presence sent every primal instinct Ryan possessed into overdrive; the place just screamed of being unnatural.

“Right,” Jeremy said, casting a hesitant look over at the island, “we’ll be stickin’ together on this one. I don’t like the look of this place, so stayin’ as a group is our best option - and I don’t want to go too far in either. We only need to thin the herd.” He paused, tapped his foot as he thought, and added, “Geoff and Gavin, stay in the boats and be prepared to row us back as soon as we need to go. I don’t want to take any chances.”

The Wilds had certainly dulled the usually bubbly crew. Before, at Cannon Cove, there had been laughter as they approached the island; now, there was only silence as they each scanned the shoreline for signs of danger.

When their boats bumped up against the pale sand, Jeremy climbed out first. He cast a glance back at them to murmur one more warning: “Keep the ship in sight. Don’t go too far. Move with me.”

Jack, Michael, and Ryan all followed, leaving Geoff and Gavin to wait with a rowboat each. Ryan turned his cutlass over and over in his hand, and then held it so tight that his knuckles ached at the first noise he heard - though it was only the breeze rustling the wilting leaves of a nearby tree, nothing more.

It was almost  _too_ quiet. There was no birdsong here; clearly, the animals detested the Wilds as much as humans did, but they actually listened to their fears and stayed far away. For once, the rush of the ocean was too loud in Ryan’s ears, too terrifyingly vast, overpowering his other senses when he needed them so desperately right now.

And then, all at once, they were attacked.

Like they had been waiting in ambush, skeletons poured out from the undergrowth, their old bones clattering against one another as they stumbled clumsily over the shifting ground. Most of them had long since lost their weapons or had them stolen by thieves, but some still waved various blades high over their skulls, their jaws hanging open like they were trying to shout a war cry. It was a horrifying sight, one that Ryan knew would haunt him for weeks to come, but he threw himself into the fight beside his friends without hesitation.

One good swing was all it took every time to incapacitate their foes. They couldn’t die, but Ryan realised they could scatter the bones and it would take them time to reform. He was sure that any attempt to truly destroy these would only unleash the spirits contained within, and that would do more harm than good in the end.

Ryan quickly lost track of time. He only knew that he had quickly worked himself up into a sweat; he’d lost count of how many of the undead beasts he’d slain. Brief glances towards the skeletons’ backline confirmed what he’d already suspected, though: the skeletons would simply walk over their brethren, filling in the gaps while the fallen ones pulled themselves together again.

As hard as they fought, it quickly became clear that they were severely outnumbered. Skeleton after skeleton fell apart, but more emerged from the rocks, the trees, the remains of others to replace them, just as furious as they had been before. Ryan took a few scrapes to his arms and sides from the rogue swings of their swords, and he was sure that he could see similarly bloody streaks on the others when he caught a glimpse of them amidst the chaos.

There would be no win here. It was impossible. They could fight all day and all night, and they would never be able to stop the flow of enemies.

The clash of swords and awful sound of the skeletons was so loud that Ryan almost missed Jeremy’s cry: “Fall back! It’s no good, fall back!”

Obediently, Jack and Michael moved back towards the boats, forcing skeletons away as they went. It left a clear path for Ryan to back up with them; as the pair climbed into a boat with Geoff, Ryan stopped near Gavin’s, turning to see where Jeremy was.

His heart leaped into his throat.

At first, Ryan couldn’t see him - it simply looked like he was gone, like he’d never been there in the first place.

And then he realised that Jeremy was doing something incredibly stupid. The moment he’d realised that they were overwhelmed, he had started to lead the skeletons away, giving the rest of the crew time to escape with ease. He looked exhausted already, his forehead shining with perspiration as he fought back the swarm of the undead. There were small spots of red staining his shirt where he’d been nicked by their swords.

When Jeremy looked up, Ryan met his eyes. He froze when he saw the plain fear and desperation on Jeremy’s face - but there was also determination as he frowned and shouted, “What are ye waitin’ for? Go!”

Behind him, Gavin pleaded with him to get in, calling his name.

Ryan ignored him and broke into a sprint.

He was no fighter, but he wasn’t going to leave Jeremy to the mercy of the mindless, vengeful skeletons. Yelling, Ryan barrelled into a tight bunch of them, sending them clattering to the ground as they burst into nothing more than bones for the moment. He slashed and forced his way through to Jeremy, seized him by the arm, and hauled him over to his side.

“Ye should’ve ran,” Jeremy growled, even as Ryan shoved him ahead of him towards the boats.

“I wasn’t fucking leaving you,” Ryan spat back. He elbowed a skeleton in the ribcage, and it fell apart at his feet with a hiss.

When they reached Gavin’s boat where the poor lad looked terrified, Jeremy pushed Ryan into it first, only for Ryan to snatch a handful of his shirt and haul him in afterwards. He and Jeremy landed in a tangle, Ryan’s fingers still tightly gripping his sleeve while Jeremy tried to push himself upright. Clearly unwilling to break into the argument, Gavin pushed off from the shore without saying a word and sent them after the other half of the crew.

“Ye were a fool to come back into that!” Jeremy stared at Ryan, still bristling. “Ye could’ve died, Ryan!”

“So could you! Why the hell did you try and pull them away? You could’ve made it to the boats too!”

“It’s my fuckin’ job as captain to make sure ye all make it first!” Jeremy sat back, Ryan’s relaxing fingers making it easy for him to slip free. “I’m not splittin’ up those four, and- and ye-”

“And _I_ am not leaving you behind,” Ryan said, softer now. “Fuck that.”

The boat bumped up against the side of the  _Achievement._  Back on the shore, the skeletons writhed as they realised that their quarry was out of reach now; they didn’t dare set a foot in the ocean to follow, even though the ship wasn’t unreasonably far out. Silently, Gavin prepared to haul the rowboat up to the deck, where the other three were already waiting.

Jeremy blinked rapidly and looked away. Ryan didn’t point out the wetness he could see around his eyes.

* * *

There was a sombre mood aboard the  _Achievement_ that night. Once everyone was safe, they trooped downstairs to patch themselves up. Jack was both the least hurt and most skilled with their medical supplies, so he set about spreading ointments over wounds, wrapping bandages around what he could, and stitching up those few cuts that were deep enough to need it. Nobody brought out any ale, but Ryan did notice a little bit of rum being passed around to dull the pain.

They didn’t sail any further out before evening drew in. As much as they all quietly agreed that they wanted to leave Sunken Grove, the alternative was to be out in the middle of the Wilds at night - they were sure to attract attention if they tried that.

Jack, Geoff, Michael, and Gavin all retired to the same bedroom tonight. Ryan watched them go with a pang; no doubt they were comforting each other and discussing the argument that had broken out between the captain and the newest recruit.

He didn’t know if Jeremy would meet him tonight, but Ryan went above deck anyway. It was disappointing to realise that the Wilds were so cloudy that it blocked out any view of the stars. Ryan scowled up at the dark sky, silently cursing it. He’d been hoping to at least tell himself some of the stories that Jeremy had shared with him, if only to help him relax enough to actually consider sleep.

“I didn’t think ye would come.”

Ryan’s heart jolted. He spun on his heel, and there Jeremy was: he stood by the door to his quarters, his shoulders slumped but soft hope in his eyes. Jeremy seemed so much  _quieter,_ but maybe that was simply because he’d foregone his normal flashy outfit; he just wore a simple white shirt and plain pants instead of his usual purple and orange affair. There was a vulnerability to the sight that made Ryan’s breath catch in his throat.

“I didn’t think you’d come either,” he admitted. “I had to try, though.”

“Aye. I felt the same,” Jeremy said, nodding. He glanced out across the ocean, as if he wasn’t sure what to say - like the sea itself would give him the answer. “I apologise for shoutin’ at ye earlier. I… I shouldn’t have done that. Thank ye for helpin’ me out.”

Ryan huffed out a quiet, humourless laugh. He moved closer to Jeremy, enough that the captain would be tilting his head back a little to make eye contact - if he would even Ryan’s way, anyway. “I couldn’t leave you, Jeremy.”

“It wouldn’t have made ye disloyal to do so,” Jeremy assured him. “Crews leave their captain all the time on their orders. That’s how it is.”

“It wasn’t about loyalty.”

Jeremy’s eyes snapped back to him again. His brow creased as he frowned. “What do ye mean, then?”

Ryan wasn’t usually the impulsive type, but he had had his moments, particularly in recent weeks. Attempting to sneak onto the  _Achievement_ had been one of the few big ones in his life. He supposed that going back for Jeremy could have been considered another one.

Leaning in to kiss Jeremy definitely counted.

At first, Jeremy didn’t respond, and Ryan was terrified that he’d stepped over the line. But before he could pull away and splutter out an apology, a calloused palm cupped his jaw while an arm circled around his waist to draw him closer, and Ryan melted into his hold, his bottled up emotions bubbling up in his chest with joy.

It was slow and sweet and warm - everything that he’d come to expect from Jeremy.

* * *

When Ryan woke the next morning, he was briefly confused. Across from the bed was a chest, a desk, a worn rug - but no second bunk. There was more space in his bed, and he could see bits and pieces of treasure catching in the low light-

And _oh,_ there was an arm draped over his waist, and a warm, solid body pressed against his back.

Ryan closed his eyes as he relaxed back into Jeremy. Even through their clothes, Jeremy really was a furnace; he could imagine that the sheer heat his body gave off would be wonderful on those colder nights, but it would be an absolute nightmare in the summer. Ryan chuckled to himself at the thought, and snuggled back into his embrace for now. That would be something to worry about when the time came.

There was a sleepy grumble behind him. Ryan bit his lip to hold back more giggles. “What are ye laughin’ about?”

“Nothing,” Ryan assured him. He settled a hand over Jeremy’s where it dangled near his chest. Idly, he linked their fingers together, appreciating the simple fact that he could do such a thing.

“Yer lyin’,” Jeremy continued. “I’ll have to make ye walk the plank if ye don’t talk. Got no time for liars on my ship.”

Ryan snorted. “You wouldn’t make me walk the plank.”

He felt Jeremy’s smile in the press of his lips against his shoulder. “Yer right. I wouldn’t.”

For a moment, quiet settled over them again, as heavy and comfortable as the blanket they were curled up under. Everything felt sugary sweet - it reminded Ryan of freshly baked cake, deliciously soft and still dripping with warmth from the oven. It was luxurious in the best way, the kind of lazy morning he hadn’t had in years now. There was nothing quite like lingering in bed in the arms of a partner, trading kisses and affectionate touches.

They had only slept together in the purest sense of the word. At no point had they undressed last night; instead, they’d retreated into Jeremy’s cabin to share more gentle, hesitant kisses, and they’d talked to smooth over any lingering issues from the day’s events. Shyly, Jeremy had asked him if he wanted to stay the night - hastening to assure Ryan that he wasn’t expecting anything by asking him - and they’d ended up tangled together under the sheets, both of them as awestruck as the other to be allowed to share this kind of intimacy.

It had been several long, lonely years for Ryan. There had been very few openly gay people at Golden Sands, and he wasn’t in the habit of getting back with an ex. Jeremy had admitted that it had been much the same for him, only the first crew he’d been part of had been quite vocally terrible, so Jeremy had left it as soon as he was safely able to.

One good thing to come out of it, Jeremy had explained, was the formation of his own crew. He’d found Geoff, Jack, Michael, and Gavin - others that wanted a life on the sea but found the way blocked for similar reasons. They’d worked together to get the  _Achievement_ , and it had only been up from there.

Ryan smiled to himself at the little memories from last night. He and Jeremy had found it so easy to simply talk over the past couple of weeks, and he was flattered to now know more about him and the crew’s history. He was always eager to discover more, whether that was about the stars or something more personal.

The lazy morning had to come to an end, though. Jeremy sighed and sat up; Ryan pouted as cool air rushed in to fill the gap Jeremy had left behind. “Where’re you going?”

“We need to get movin’,” Jeremy reminded him. Gently, he nudged Ryan’s shoulder. He huffed as he rolled out of bed, giving Jeremy room to follow him. “I don’t want to sit in the Wilds all day.”

The balloon of joy in Ryan’s chest deflated slightly. Of course, they were still right by the cursed Sunken Grove. The early morning hunger Ryan had initially felt left in an instant as his stomach churned with distaste instead. The mere mention of that island was enough to ruin his appetite and his mood in one fell swoop.

Jeremy swung his bright purple and orange coat around his shoulders, pausing with it still hanging open when Ryan stood to join him. At first, he wasn’t quite sure what made Jeremy stop, but he quickly realised that Jeremy was just looking him up and down. It made his cheeks turn pink.

“Hey,” Jeremy said, a smile spreading across his face as he caught Ryan by the hand, “c’mere.”

How could he say no?

When Jeremy’s other hand curled into the front of his shirt to tug him down, Ryan was only too happy to comply. The kiss chased away some of the lingering fear from the reminder of Sunken Grove’s dark magic. Silently, through the distraction of Jeremy’s lips on his, Ryan was grateful that he had seemingly picked up on his change of mood without him needing to voice it completely.

Ryan quickly forgot about it entirely when Jeremy adjusted his grip, dropping Ryan’s hand to slide an arm around his waist and haul him closer. His breath caught at the brief hint of teeth against his bottom lip.

It was nothing like the softer kisses from last night. It was hotter, more  _demanding_. Ryan instantly wanted more of it.

But Jeremy parted from him with a barely there grunt. “For god’s sake, yer too distractin’.”

Ryan barked out a laugh, giddy with delight all over again. “You kissed me first then, you only have yourself to blame.”

“Smug bastard,” Jeremy cursed fondly, rolling his eyes. He pulled away, turning to grab his hat and settle it on his head. “There’ll be time for more of that later, ye can be sure of that. First, though, I want to head to Sanctuary Outpost, and we’ll figure out where to go next. Mostly, I want to get back to the Shores of Plenty. We’ll be safer there.”

This time, the crew didn’t comment on Ryan and Jeremy being together when they all met up on the deck. Ryan did catch Michael watching, but the expression on his face was unreadable - he knew Michael was pretty perceptive, good at picking up on things, though Ryan could only hope that he wasn’t giving anything away. He and Jeremy hadn’t talked about how open they were going to be about their relationship, so Ryan didn’t want to give anything away if he could help it. The last thing he wanted to do was make his new partner uncomfortable.

Before they all parted to set sail, though, Jeremy tugged him in to plant one more kiss on his cheek, much to the amusement of their crewmates. Ryan blushed, but found himself grinning through their whoops and laughter. He would take a bit of teasing as long as it meant that the crew was happy again.

* * *

It took time to sail to Sanctuary Outpost; they’d been so deep in the Wilds that it was a few days before they even made it back into the Shores of Plenty, and from there they still had to sail much further to get deep enough to reach their destination.

At first, Ryan had wondered why Jeremy had directed them that way. They were getting low on supplies as the days wore on, sure, but they weren’t in desperate need. When he managed to steal a moment alone with Jeremy - which were far more frequent now, not just something to hide at night - he explained that Sanctuary Outpost was exactly what it was named after: a safe haven for everyone, pirate or not. Fighting wasn’t tolerated, so it was a perfect place to go whenever they needed to stop for any extended length of time, particularly if they wanted peace.

“We won’t be stoppin’ for too long,” Jeremy assured him, “but I think we could all do with relaxin’ for a couple of days. It’s the only island that lets ye really do that.”

Ryan rarely returned to his own cabin now; it was only ever for changes of clothes and to collect his journal. Spending the nights with Jeremy granted them much more privacy - not that they did much with it - and gave the other four the space they’d had only a couple of months ago. They didn’t call the new couple out for the subtle move, though Ryan was sure he heard a few fond, amused snickers here and there whenever Ryan headed back up onto the upper deck with Jeremy whenever they all retired for the night.

All in all, their evening routine hadn’t changed much. They would still sit and stargaze, Jeremy would still tell him stories, and Ryan would still write it all down in his quickly filling journal. The only real difference was the way their fingers inevitably ended up twined together.

When they eventually dragged themselves to bed, it was much of the same. They shared slow, warm kisses as they laid together, though their hands never strayed too far below the belt. Neither of them brought it up; Ryan was, admittedly, quite happy for them to take their time. While he was curious to see if his dream would mirror reality at all, he was honestly enjoying the slow progression of their relationship, the exploratory touches and, sometimes, the occasional heavier making out when they got a little too carried away.

When Sanctuary finally came into view one morning, Ryan realised that he had been on board the  _Achievement_ for almost a month now.

It left him reeling to notice how much his life had changed. Already he carried the telltale signs of working hard each day: callouses had started to form on his hands, and he’d shed a little weight and packed on more muscle in its place. With the diet and demanding tasks, Ryan knew he’d be hard pressed to keep up a lazy lifestyle, particularly when there were only six of them to pick up the slack. That wasn’t even taking into account the new friendships and relationship he’d formed, simply because of his impulsive decision to climb on board a pirate ship.

As he leaned on the side of the ship, looking out across the sea, Ryan had to admit that every part of this journey had been worth it. The adventure he’d craved throughout his youth, the mysterious allure of the sea - it was worth waiting for all these years.

Sanctuary Outpost was the complete opposite of Dagger Tooth. While it held a reputation for having zero tolerance for any kind of violence, there were surprisingly few guards posted at the docks. As the  _Achievement_ rolled in alongside them, a few of the people lingering there sent them cheery waves and called out greetings. It reminded Ryan of a bigger Golden Sands; it was busier and more lively, and looked so achingly familiar.

Part of him wondered if he ever would have run away if he’d been born here instead.

Yes, Ryan decided, turning his gaze out at the sparkling blue sea again. He was sure that a still life on an island wasn’t for him. He belonged out at sea, travelling, exploring, with his friends around him. Even a quick visit to another place wouldn’t have sated that desire - he had wanted the absolute freedom and the ability to go wherever he desired. While he didn’t have absolute control over those decisions now, it was close enough and honestly, Ryan felt in his gut that he’d follow wherever his crew went.

It felt like a weight was lifted from everyone’s shoulders when they were finally anchored and tied up. Here, they were protected. It didn’t matter that they were pirates when the Shores of Plenty were friendlier towards them anyway.

Jeremy was the first to descend the ladder. Ryan watched him relax, his shoulders dropping a little as some of the tension he’d been carrying was finally released. “Remind me to never pick up a job for the Wilds again, lads.”

Geoff dropped down next to him, clapping a hand on his shoulder with a mischievous smile. “Even though it brought you two together?”

Ryan kept his gaze averted as he climbed down, ignoring the warmth in his cheeks as Jeremy sheepishly said, “It would’ve happened anyway.” He had to agree; it had felt inevitable, really, though the trip to Sunken Grove had certainly been a catalyst for it all happening sooner.

To their delight, there was a market set up in the centre of town, stalls offering up various goods: hot food, cold drinks, glittering jewelry, stacks of heavy books, shining weapons… It was something Ryan had never really seen before. At Golden Sands, the closest they’d ever gotten was a handful of tables clumsily laid out with products whenever there was a holiday of some kind, but Ryan could see clearly now that it had never come close to the magic of this. The crew split off from each other, armed with their shares of coin, to peruse what was on offer.

Naturally, Ryan found himself drawn to the books, and he was pleased to find that Geoff readily came with him; something else they’d bonded over had been a mutual love of reading, and Geoff had been happy to let Ryan borrow some books over the past couple of weeks. Now, Ryan trailed his fingertips over the covers, idly reading the names where the spines were turned to face browsing customers. As nice as it was for Geoff to lend him some, Ryan did miss having a collection of his own.

After a few minutes, Jeremy slipped up beside him, and Ryan couldn’t help smiling when the fingers of his free hand ended up tangled between Jeremy’s. He hadn’t imagined that Jeremy would be so physically affectionate, but he was coming to adore every touch, no matter how brief. At the other end of the stall, Geoff didn’t blink twice as the couple shared a quiet moment.

“See anythin’ that catches yer eye?” he asked, leaning in to speak quietly to Ryan.

“Mm, not yet. Just looking, really. Thought you were looking at weapons with Michael?”

“Didn’t find anythin’ we don’t already have,” Jeremy said with a simple shrug. “Hey, what about another one of these?”

Ryan glanced over, and he saw a journal in Jeremy’s hand. It was thicker than the one he currently had, and the cover was a dark green with shiny metal corners to stop them from getting bent and battered. It was quite pretty really, he thought; just the look of it reminded him somewhat of the  _Achievement,_ even though the colours weren’t very close.

He hummed a noncommittal sound. “I don’t know.”

“Ye didn’t have much left in the one ye have now when ye opened it last night,” Jeremy pointed out. He set the journal down on top of some books stacked in front of Ryan, idly flipping through the blank pages. The parchment in them was nice and thick; Ryan could tell that the ink wouldn’t bleed through. “I know ye like writin’ in it. I don’t want ye finishin’ it while we’re out at sea and can’t get hold of a new one.”

Truth be told, Ryan wasn’t sure why he wasn’t jumping at the chance to get it. He knew that the original journal wouldn’t last forever, but it still held a certain sentimental value for him. It had gone untouched until he’d brought it with him on this adventure, and now it contained every bit of his journey.

Evidently, Ryan took too long, because Jeremy scooped it up again to hail down the merchant. “I’ll take this one,” he said, digging into his pocket for some money.

“Jeremy,” Ryan protested.

“Hush, Ryan.” Gently, Jeremy squeezed his hand. “What’s the use in keepin’ all this coin if I can’t spend it on the man I care about?”

That shut Ryan up fast. His heart pounded in his chest, and he had to resist the urge to pull Jeremy in for a fierce kiss - the gesture itself was nice, though the way Jeremy had phrased it had struck him hard. He hadn’t given himself the space to worry about how deep their affection ran, but now he knew that he definitely didn’t have to. Sure, it was no love confession, but he could hardly expect that after only a couple of weeks together.

As they turned away from the stall, the new journal and a few books safely tucked away in the bag over Jeremy’s shoulder, Ryan looped an arm around his waist to pull him close and sneakily kiss his cheek. “Thank you.”

Jeremy’s laugh was low and warm by his ear. “Ye don’t need to thank me for that, I wanted to get ye a gift.”

Ryan felt his heart swell at his soft, familiar chuckle. “Still, thank you. It means a lot to me.”

It was touching, to be honest, and Ryan knew that he would treasure it even though it was just a book. Truth be told, it was the first gift from a lover he’d ever had. The few partners he’d had at Golden Sands had been admittedly more physical than emotional, and always in secret; there had been no opportunity, no reason to give each other presents when it was little more than a physical release. Ryan had cared about his previous partners, of course, but he had never experienced a bond quite as deep and genuine as this.

Everything about this was wonderfully different.

Dinner that evening was a more luxurious affair than they were used to. Rather than return to the  _Achievement_ for their meal, Jack pointed out a tavern the crew had apparently visited on a trip to Sanctuary before - Ryan had to admit that it lived up to its reputation. It was cheerful despite the six of them having to crowd around a small table, and a plate of hot food went a long way to lift their spirits even further. For once, Ryan found himself appreciating the hustle and bustle of a busy atmosphere rather than resenting it. After all, he was  _part_ of it here.

Given the location, it didn’t take long for Michael and Gavin to order drinks for themselves. It wasn’t uncommon for Jack to take it easier and enjoy something non-alcoholic with Geoff, but it surprised Ryan a little that Jeremy didn’t immediately jump at the chance for harder liquor when his fellow lads ordered shots.

The sight of him so relaxed did soothe something in Ryan’s chest, though. He couldn’t help how his gaze would stray to Jeremy and linger on the smile on his face. At some point during the evening, Jeremy’s arm ended up draped across the back of Ryan’s chair too, and he found himself leaning in towards him without consciously deciding to. Nobody called him out on it, though Ryan was sure that once the lads had a little more alcohol in them they would be far more forthcoming with teasing.

It quickly became clear that Michael and Gavin had full intentions of staying out late to drink, and Geoff and Jack had already taken it upon themselves to keep an eye on them; they might not get into any fights, but they could still cause trouble. As much as Ryan was enjoying the atmosphere, though, he couldn’t help how his thoughts drifted to how quiet the  _Achievement_ would be instead.

Ryan leaned in, putting his lips close to Jeremy’s ear so he could hear him over the din. “Think I’m gonna head back to the ship.”

A warm hand landed on his knee. Ryan’s heart leaped up into his throat. “Do ye want some company?” Jeremy asked.

Swallowing hard, Ryan nodded. He couldn’t help noticing how Jeremy had asked him that question before, though now the context was far more obvious - granted, Ryan could have been reading too much into the light touch of Jeremy’s hand, but he knew he didn’t imagine the warm squeeze before he slipped it away.

“Ryan and I are headin’ back to the ship,” Jeremy said as they stood. “Good luck handlin’ those two.”

Rather than rise to the bait, Geoff smirked at the pair of them. The fact that they were sneaking off to take advantage of the empty ship clearly wasn’t lost on him. “Are you kidding me? This is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen, you couldn’t convince me to leave if you tried. You two have fun.”

Catching on, Jack gave them an amused, knowing look. “Stay safe! Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do!”

“Well,” Ryan said, once they were out in the cool evening air, “that wasn’t a very subtle exit.”

Jeremy tipped his head back as he laughed. It was loud and carefree, and it made Ryan’s heart flutter in all of the best ways. “No, I guess not. But fuck it, I don’t mind comin’ back a little early if it means we can spend time together without interference.”

“It’s not like we’re hurting for privacy,” Ryan pointed out. As they reached the  _Achievement,_ he stepped aside and gestured for Jeremy to climb up the rope ladder first. He hadn’t even really meant for his earlier comment to be a signal, but he wasn’t going to complain if Jeremy wanted to accompany him - especially if it implied the possibility of more, of resolving the low simmer of want left from spending every night together, close but never quite close enough.

Eagerly, Ryan followed him up, and he took Jeremy’s offered hand to pull himself up onto the deck. “True,” Jeremy said, like there hadn’t been a break in their conversation, “but there’s no harm in givin’ ourselves a little  _more_ privacy, is there?”

That was enough confirmation for Ryan. Grinning now, he planted his hands on Jeremy’s hips, guiding him back to his own quarters. Jeremy seemed a little surprised, stumbling at first, but he quickly fell into step with Ryan, going easily where he nudged him. “You’re right,” Ryan admitted, “because it means I can be this bold.”

“Yeah?” Ryan was delighted to hear a note of breathlessness in Jeremy’s voice. “What’re ye goin’ to do about it?”

“Oh, I think I have an idea.”

They stumbled over the threshold, the door to Jeremy’s quarters slamming shut behind them. Ryan immediately pressed Jeremy up against it to kiss him, swallowing the moan that tripped off of Jeremy’s tongue hungrily. He wasted no time in touching him, his fingers sliding under Jeremy’s shirt to skim over the bare skin he’d only seen in teasing glimpses. Jeremy shivered at the cool air that crept in with his hands, but Ryan wasn’t done there yet; he parted from him long enough to tug Jeremy’s shirt off over his head, too impatient to deal with the buttons, and then dived in for another hungry kiss.

When Jeremy pulled away to breathe, Ryan simply turned to kiss along his jaw, nipping at the rough scruff of his beard as he made his way to his neck. “God, Ryan,” Jeremy gasped, gripping tight at his hips. “If I’d known ye wanted it this bad, I might not have waited.”

Ryan chuckled, the sound rumbling from low in his chest. “Nah. The wait was worth it.” As if to make a point, he gave the crook of Jeremy’s neck a quick, light bite to startle a gasp out of his partner.

“Yer a devil,” Jeremy breathed, sounding amused as well as thoroughly turned on. “What do ye want to do?”

Admittedly, Ryan had several ideas, some based on the now hazy memories of that dream and others simply from his imagination. He wanted to try everything, wanted Jeremy in every possible way they could have each other - being pressed down into the bed by Jeremy, pressing  _Jeremy_ into the bed, kissing and grinding and touching. Ryan needed bare skin on skin; he wanted the opportunity to wring out any tension left lingering in Jeremy’s body, so he could truly relax and sink into the bed when they were done, exhausted but satisfied.

Given their position, though, well. Ryan had one idea in mind first.

He sunk smoothly to his knees, his hands skating down Jeremy’s sides to rest on his hips. When he looked up, Jeremy’s eyes were wide and dark as he stared. His tongue darted out to dampen his lips. “What-”

“I wanna suck you off,” Ryan said. He cupped between Jeremy’s thighs with a hand, squeezing gently to feel the firm press of him against his palm. “Please.”

“Oh,” Jeremy gasped. His hips rocked into Ryan’s hand, chasing more of that sweet pressure. “If anyone should be beggin’ here, it’s me.  _Please,_  Ryan.”

Ryan’s impatience got the better of him for a brief moment when he heard that quiet whine; he fumbled clumsily with the buttons on Jeremy’s trousers, grumbling when he struggled with getting them through the holes. When his trousers pooled around his ankles, though, Ryan quickly tugged his underwear down to join them, and he eagerly curled his fingers around Jeremy’s half hard cock. He stroked him slowly, working him up the rest of the way with his touch and a few heated kisses pressed against the insides of his thighs.

There was a soft thump from above. Ryan glanced up, and stifled a laugh when he saw that Jeremy had let his head knock back against the door. “Yer a damn tease,” he growled, though it sounded fond rather than truly annoyed.

“Mhm,” Ryan hummed, lips closed tight to keep himself from laughing.

It didn’t escape Jeremy’s notice, though. He lifted his head again, eyes opening to look down at Ryan. “Somethin’ funny?” he asked, playfully bumping Ryan with a knee.

“Nope.”

“Somethin’ made ye chuckle. Excuse me for makin’ sure my junk isn’t the thing that did it.”

Ryan really did laugh this time, but he shook his head again. “Nope, you’re perfect, Jeremy. Don’t worry about it, it was really nothing.”

Jeremy narrowed his eyes, a playful gleam in them. “Now, somethin’ tells me I shouldn’t believe-”

“Shut up and  _fuck me face, captain,”_ Ryan said, taking on a low pirate’s drawl. _“I’ll swallow ye down and satisfy ye.”_

“That’s the least sexy thing I’ve ever heard,” Jeremy groaned. This time, it was Jeremy’s fist that thudded against the door, and Ryan struggled not to giggle again. “I told ye before, ye sound more Irish than pirate when ye do that. Besides, I prefer it when ye speak as ye normally do.”

“Aw, you’re sweet.” Smiling innocently, Ryan tightened his grip a little in an effort to distract Jeremy. Whether it worked or not suddenly didn’t matter to Ryan, because a wonderful groan rolled off of Jeremy’s tongue, and it sent a bolt of heat straight to Ryan’s cock. The humour from moments ago was forgotten in an instant as he took in the fact that he had Jeremy right here, aroused and patiently waiting for him.

He almost melted when fingers ran through his hair, settling at the back of his head. Ryan hadn’t even realised that he’d closed his eyes until he opened them again, meeting Jeremy’s heated gaze with a soft noise. This was a good place to be, he thought hazily, on his knees for Jeremy with his partner’s fingers tangled in his hair.

Eager now and done with foreplay, Ryan turned his head to take the head of Jeremy’s cock into his mouth, eyes sliding shut once more as he sucked lightly on the head. Jeremy’s nails lightly scraped against his scalp as he tightened his grip on his hair, only to relax again seconds later as he moaned. It had been a while since Ryan had given a blowjob and he was sure that his jaw was going to ache by the end of this, but he couldn’t have cared less about what came after.

He sunk a little lower to take another couple of inches, and he stroked what he couldn’t have just yet. Jeremy was hot and heavy on his tongue, sliding easily with Jeremy’s gentle thrusts. As desperate as Ryan was, he appreciated that Jeremy was being a little careful.

Still, Ryan dipped lower, ignoring the way his throat twitched when the head of Jeremy’s cock brushed the back of it. He focused more on the smooth motion of sucking Jeremy off, both hands free now, one dropping to grind the heel of his palm against his own achingly hard cock. Just that one touch, despite how brief it was, made him whine around Jeremy’s dick, his brows creasing with the effort it took to shift his attention back to Jeremy.

Gentleness and having control was nice, but Ryan had something else in mind, another joking promise to make good on. His hands settled on Jeremy’s hips, curved to fit the shape of them. Ryan gave him a little tug of encouragement.

Jeremy’s cheeks were flushed as he stared down at Ryan. He felt the muscles of his thighs jump under his hands. “Are ye sure?” he rasped. “I don’t wanna hurt ye.”

Rather than take the time to answer, Ryan just squeezed his hips and swallowed firmly. He  _felt_ the way Jeremy shuddered, and he couldn’t help moaning when he tugged on his hair. To lessen the pressure between his thighs, Ryan reached down to unbutton his own trousers, though he didn’t touch himself yet.

At the first gentle roll of Jeremy’s hips, Ryan slackened his jaw, his eyelids fluttering before they closed. It was so easy to let go, to appreciate the quiet grunts that came from above as Jeremy carefully fucked into his mouth. Quietly, so soft that Ryan almost missed it in the shifting of fabric and sounds of skin on skin, he heard Jeremy harshly hiss,  _“Fuck.”_

His fingers twitched against Jeremy’s hips, fighting the desire to shove his hand into his underwear - he wanted to focus on Jeremy now, even though his mind was pleasantly hazy with arousal from the sight and sound and feeling of his partner getting off. It left him desperate though, and Ryan was sure that it wouldn’t take much for him to come when he got the chance.

And even now that he was given the freedom to do so, Jeremy didn’t press harsh and deep, though the abortive way he cut off his movements made Ryan wonder about how much rougher he could be. Still, he kept his thrusts shallow, and pleasant tingles ran across Ryan’s skin when he heard his desperate gasps of breath, the cut off moans and swears as he built himself higher. It was intoxicating, especially when he pried his eyes open to peer up at Jeremy.

His cheeks were a pretty pink as he watched Ryan’s mouth, eyelids heavy as he stared at the way he disappeared between Ryan’s lips. Ryan could see the beads of sweat on Jeremy’s throat, his shoulders, and he wanted to rear up to kiss and lick and bite - he would have, but he wanted to be down here more.

“Ye look so fuckin’ good,” Jeremy gasped. His noises started to go a little higher, and his fingers tightened in Ryan’s hair, gently tugging to pull him closer. Ryan just held Jeremy’s hips tighter, squeezing them, reassuring him as he built towards the peak he was chasing. The way Jeremy picked up the pace as he lost some of that control he’d been clinging to would definitely haunt Ryan’s thoughts and dreams for weeks. “I’m gonna- I’m so close,  _Ryan-”_

Jeremy’s hips suddenly stilled with a harsh groan; Ryan felt him twitch on his tongue as he came. He kept tugging Ryan’s hair as he swallowed, his voice breathy above him. Even when Jeremy’s fingers went lax and Ryan pulled off, he stayed there for a moment, holding Jeremy by the base as he gave him a few more gentle kisses as he came down from his high. It was only when Jeremy huffed at him, muttering about being sensitive and wincing, that Ryan pecked a kiss to his thigh and straightened up once more.

He was immediately greeted with a hand on the back of his neck to pull him down for a kiss. Jeremy didn’t hesitate despite the fact that Ryan had just been sucking him off; the harsh kiss just made him feel even dizzier with desire.

When Jeremy slipped his hand into his open trousers, Ryan’s knees almost buckled.

“Careful,” Jeremy murmured against his lips. “Do ye need to sit down?”

“No, no- I’m fine,  _please-”_

Jeremy’s fingers curled around him, hot and tight. It left Ryan’s breath stuttering in his chest when he’d refrained from touching himself so far. The fact that Jeremy instantly got to stroking him, fast and hard, had Ryan’s climax rushing closer much quicker than he’d thought possible. He ended up clinging to Jeremy, one hand clutching his shoulder while the other pressed against the wall, as he bucked eagerly into his hand, muffling his whimpers in his neck.

“I wanna take my time with ye at some point,” Jeremy murmured, filthy and low in Ryan’s ear. “Lay you out on the bed and make ye squirm. Build ye up and then fuck ye through it, and make ye beg to go again.”

The combination of Jeremy’s words and his hands - those fast strokes, the rough touch of his palm that had floated in and out of his dreams for a month now - had Ryan right there on the edge. He could barely catch his breath, it was too much but  _nowhere near enough,_ and his imagination was running away with all the things Jeremy was promising. 

His orgasm hit him hard, his world turning white as his body curled in towards Jeremy’s. Ryan breathed his name in a broken whine, his hold on Jeremy tightening as his legs went weak with the strength of it, and his hips rolled in jerky little thrusts to chase more of his touch. Jeremy relaxed his grip on Ryan’s cock, loosely stroking him a couple more times before he withdrew his hand. Ryan had enough sense to raise his head and try to press a clumsy kiss to Jeremy’s jaw, but the sight of him cleaning his fingers with a few broad swipes of his tongue short circuited his brain all over again before he could get there.

Jeremy was a wonderful combination of the sweetest and filthiest man on the sea, and Ryan was head over heels for him.

“Come on,” Jeremy murmured, tugging Ryan over towards the bed -  _their_ bed. He stripped off the rest of Ryan’s clothes to leave them both bare, and he pulled Ryan under the covers with him so they could thoroughly tangle themselves together. Ryan found his head pillowed on Jeremy’s shoulder with his warm, broad chest under his arm. Jeremy’s fingers ended up in Ryan’s hair again, but this time they simply ran through it. “Ye were fantastic, Ryan.”

He already felt like he was well on the way to sleep, even though he wanted to stay up and talk to Jeremy. Ryan didn’t even know if the crew was back yet; he’d been a little too distracted to hear them if they actually had returned. “You were better,” he mumbled.

Jeremy’s chest jumped under him as he chuckled quietly. “Ye were the one who sucked my dick,” he pointed out. “I owe you one for that, I think ye broke my brain.”

“Well, you did make some promises during that.” Ryan’s eyes slid shut despite himself, sleep desperately trying to pull him under. “You’d better… make good on ‘em…”

“Rest, ye fool. Don’t stay up if yer tired.” The last thing Ryan could make sense of was the warm press of lips against his forehead. He smiled lazily into Jeremy’s shoulder.

Sleepiness broke down his barriers, and allowed him to murmur two little words that he would’ve been too shy to say aloud just yet otherwise: “Love you.”

Jeremy didn’t miss a beat. “Love ye, too,” he promised. Ryan would only remember this hazily in the morning, so he would be surprised when Jeremy said the words so casually - a quick reminder would be enough, though, and soon it would be a staple of the way they spoke to one another.

If Jeremy said anything after that, though, Ryan didn’t hear it, because sleep sunk its claws into him the moment it had a chance.

* * *

The  _Achievement’s_ crew only stayed at Sanctuary Outpost for another week. While to Ryan it didn’t seem like very long, the others all assured him that by their standards, it was practically a vacation, as they were all used to being constantly on the move. They spent some time replenishing their resources as well as their own strength, and once they had picked up a few new jobs and treasure maps from the locals, they were off again, back out on the ocean. When the crew rejoiced at being back out on the water, Ryan joined in with their laughter, the excitement of sailing swelling up in him again like it was the first time.

His possessions ended up in Jeremy’s quarters not long after they left Sanctuary. He barely spent any time in his own room downstairs any more, after all, since he spent every night with Jeremy. It was met by much amusement by the crew when they saw Ryan carrying his bag upstairs, but it was the kind of jesting that was full of warmth and happiness for the two of them. A few jokes here and there was a small price to pay for getting to curl up with Jeremy when they slept.

Before Ryan knew it, months had flown by. The seasons had changed, shifting from spring to the harsh heat of summer. As he’d imagined, it made it harder to work out on the deck in the sun, but he didn’t once shy away from his tasks. Even with months of experience under his belt now, he found himself staying as a sort of jack-of-all-trades rather than finding his niche - something that Ryan was completely okay with. It didn’t give him the room to be bored when his tasks were always changing.

When they stopped at another outpost, Jeremy vanished into the market, only to return that evening with another present for Ryan: a hat. It had a wide brim and a feather sticking out of the side, much like the ones he had seen the rest of the crew with from time to time - it was a true pirate’s hat, but gaudy and over the top like the crew he loved.

“Ye can’t work in that sun all day and risk gettin’ burned,” Jeremy said, planting the hat on Ryan’s head. “I don’t know how we didn’t get ye one sooner.”

“Now he really is one of the boys!” Gavin added, reaching over to tweak the hat’s brim with a cheeky grin.

Ryan had never doubted his place amongst the crew, but the gesture still made his heart swell with affection for them all. It was a relief to be welcomed so completely, even when he’d forced his way on board their ship in the first place. They could have very easily sent him home without giving him a chance, but they hadn’t, and that was something that Ryan would be forever grateful for.

It was a hot day late in the summer - Ryan could barely remember how many months had passed now; he would know if he pulled out his journal from his and Jeremy’s room, but he could never remember exactly off the top of his head. He was working the sails with Gavin, trying to pick up whatever wind they could from the relatively calm day. Above them, Jack called down to Jeremy, passing on what he could see from the crow’s nest.

“Heard!” Jeremy shouted back to Jack, and then, to the crew, he added, “Golden Sands Outpost is where we’re goin’! Straight ahead, boys!”

Ryan froze. Why were they going to Golden Sands?

Gavin stood back to take a moment, apparently satisfied enough with the way the sails were to lean against the railing on the side of the ship. It wasn’t uncommon for Ryan to slip away to help with something else, so he took advantage of that now to rush up the steps to the wheel, where Jeremy stood lazily holding onto it.

“Ryan!” Jeremy said, his face lighting up in a smile when he saw his partner. It was a familiar sight that warmed Ryan’s heart even though he was anxious. “What’s up?”

He stepped in closer, lowering his voice so nobody could overhear - not that they could over the rush of the sea and the crack of the sails anyway. “I just- why Golden Sands?”

“We were in the area so I thought we’d visit,” Jeremy said simply, looking a little confused.

When Ryan didn’t reply, instead glancing nervously towards the shape of the island in the distance, Jeremy seemed to understand at once. The fact that Jeremy was so good at reading his silences never ceased to amaze Ryan.

He tugged Ryan down for a firm kiss; despite everything, Ryan felt himself relaxing at the reassurance. “Ye silly bastard,” Jeremy murmured, parting from him with a another quick, fond peck on the corner of his mouth. “I’m not gettin’ rid of ye. I’d never do that. I didn’t spend months trainin’ ye up and takin’ ye to bed just to throw ye off the ship the first chance I got.”

In hindsight, Ryan did see that it was a little ridiculous to be so worried, but he was mostly just relieved to hear it aloud. “I know,” he sighed, resting his forehead against Jeremy’s. “It just never occurred to me that we might come back this way.”

“It’s an outpost, even though it’s only a small one,” Jeremy reminded him. “All of them are helpful, even those shitty ones in the Wilds.”

That made Ryan laugh. Jeremy smiled at him, pleased to see Ryan at ease again. “Yeah, good point,” he admitted.

“I always have good points,” Jeremy said. He gave Ryan’s hand a squeeze before he let it drop. “And as much as ye hate the place, it might be nice to see some old faces. Ye can tell them how far ye’ve come.”

Initially, Ryan wasn’t so sure that the people of Golden Sands would want to hear that. He hadn’t felt like a big part of the community when he’d lived there, and while some people might be happy to see that he was okay - after all, he  _had_ left without saying anything at all - he doubted that there would be a big party upon his return, no matter how brief it was.

Besides, he’d changed so much since leaving, both physically and no doubt emotionally, too. He was clearly much happier here on board the  _Achievement_ than he ever had been in in the cramped tavern. Ryan sincerely doubted that the people of Golden Sands would give him a second glance.

When they landed, though, it was a different story.

At first, people looked up to admire the ship rolling into their docks like they would any other. They watched as a freckled young man climbed down the rope ladder to tie the ship into place, and observed as he called back up to his fellows that it was safe to come down. One by one, the pirates dropped down onto the docks, turning back to make sure the others joined them safely and smiling when they were all on solid land.

Ryan was the last to descend. When he turned to take in the familiar sights of Golden Sands, he saw a few people openly staring, as shocked as if they’d seen a ghost.

Some came forwards, curious to speak to him, while others rushed back into the village to spread the word. Ryan still maintained that he hadn’t been very popular, even when the rest of his crew teased him about the people crowding around them to talk - admittedly, though, Ryan supposed someone just vanishing would be a bit of a scandal in such a small community, so they probably just wanted to know what what happened. Once their curiosity was sated, he was sure that things would return to normal.

They were urged towards the lone tavern, the one that Ryan had ached so badly to leave behind. The townspeople bought all six of them drinks, plying them with something just so they could assure themselves that they were allowed to gather and listen. Despite Ryan’s assurances that there wasn’t really much of a story, they lingered anyway. When he could only stare at them all, confused, he took comfort from Jeremy giving his knee a quick squeeze under the table.

Ryan knew he wasn’t much of a storyteller, but he’d learned a thing or two from Jeremy, so he took a deep breath and tried.

Later, when he was in bed with his arms wrapped around Jeremy, the sweat still cooling on their skin, Ryan had time to think. He supposed he’d worried about coming back to Golden Sands again in case he would realise that he’d made the wrong choice. It had been a huge leap of faith to just climb on board the  _Achievement_ and assume he could seamlessly fit in with the demanding life of being a pirate.

Instead, it had been surprisingly easy - though he knew for a fact that that was down to the crew he’d joined. He’d been lucky to find one so warm and friendly.

Next to him, Jeremy sleepily nuzzled in closer. He was out cold, his breath puffing out against Ryan’s neck as he slumbered. The freedom of the sea had certainly been a tantalising factor for so long, but he wondered now if maybe it was just because it held the greatest treasure of all for him.

For Ryan, the most important thing was something far less materialistic than gold.

He wouldn’t trade what he had with Jeremy for all the shiniest treasure hidden across the wide, beautifully tempting sea.


End file.
